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New York cancels offshore wind transmission plans amid federal uncertainty

New York cancels offshore wind transmission plans amid federal uncertainty

It said that the New York State Public Service Commission had terminated its offshore transmission planning due to a stalled federal permit, in order to protect ratepayers of New York State from premature infrastructure costs.

This ends the Public Policy Transmission Needs process, which was seeking proposals for delivering up to 8 gigawatts (or more) of offshore wind energy to New York City before 2033.

The commission cited federal actions that have halted new offshore wind leasing, permitting and it claimed this makes short-term project implementation unfeasible.

Rory M. Christian, Chair of the Commission, said: "Given Washington's uncertainty we need to act now to protect consumers." This is not the end. We'll continue to move forward as soon as the federal government re-starts the permitting process.

The commission stated that New York remains committed to offshore wind. Existing projects such as South Fork Wind, Empire Wind, and Sunrise Wind remain unaffected.

Hillary Bright, the executive director of Turn Forward, an organization that promotes offshore wind energy, said, "Shovel ready offshore wind projects will add significant capacity to the U.S. Grid just when it is needed most." Experts from all over the world warn that the U.S. is soon going to face a shortage of power due to the escalating demand for AI, cryptocurrency and other digital economies.

The commission has instructed its staff to use lessons learned from the PPTN to inform future planning. They will focus on affordability, reliability, and risk reduction. The 2026 Clean Energy Standard Biennial Review will include additional guidance.

"Now isn't the time to limit the contribution of any source of energy. Bright said that the U.S. must continue to develop all energy sources to remain competitive in the future. Reporting by Anjana Anil from Bengaluru, and Nicholae Groom from Los Angeles. Editing by Richard Chang & Matthew Lewis.

(source: Reuters)