Leading Light Wind submitted its bid for an offshore wind power contract to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as part of New York's third competitive offshore wind solicitation.
Leading Light Wind, led by Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRe, proposes delivering up to 2,1 GW of electricity to the state.
"Leading Light Wind is a bold vision for New York that will deliver enough clean, reliable energy to power the equivalent of up to 800,000 New York homes every year and offset nearly 2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions in its first year of operation. The proposed project will support tens of thousands of family-sustaining jobs over its operational life and represents up to $13.3 billion in economic benefits for New York, including critical offshore wind infrastructure and supply chain investments," the company said in a statement Thursday.
Next-gen Jobs, Energy Storage, Marshaling Port, Local Workers
"We are pleased to offer a unique and differentiated supply chain investment plan that will deliver economic benefits from Western New York to the Capital Region to New York City," said Joshua Weinstein, Vice President and Head of Offshore Development for Invenergy. "We're creating next-generation jobs through an innovation and operations base at the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard and marshaling port development at the Arthur Kill Terminal on Staten Island.
In addition, we're offering an energy storage solution to provide grid resilience and align our project with New York's energy storage goals."
Leading Light Wind said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) to ensure the project is built by New York union construction workers.
The MOU covers all aspects of construction – from supply chain and port construction to offshore construction. The company also said it would establish a community benefits program with up to $300 million in funding for "driving stakeholder-directed community empowerment, building of an inclusive workforce, accelerating the offshore wind supply chain, and pioneering innovative and collaborative environmental research."
Initial partnerships with community-based organizations and institutions include the Waterfront Alliance, the Albert C. Wiltshire Employment Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, CUNY Offshore Wind Advisory Network, CUNY College of Staten Island, Gotham Whale, the Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (the Waterfront Pathways Program and newly proposed Lift All Boats fund to support small businesses).
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