More than 480,000 acres in offshore New York and New Jersey will be auctioned for offshore wind development, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.
The auction, to be held Feb. 23, was announced by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
“Unlocking this opportunity is exactly what we’ve been waiting for when all this was pent up during the Trump administration, which did not see the vision as we clearly do today,” Hochul said in a conference call touting the announcement.
New York has over the last several years sought to boost projects meant to transition the state to cleaner and renewable forms of energy in the coming years in order to curtail the effects of climate change.
More broadly, New York is trying to bolster its supply chain. Key parts for offshore wind projects are being shipped from the Port of Albany along the Hudson River downstate.
“This is a once-in-a-generational opportunity, in my opinion,” Hochul said.
Nationally, the Biden administration wants to have 30 megawatts of offshore wind energy generated by 2030.
Officials also touted the clean energy efforts potential of creating union jobs in the country.
“We’ve been laser focused on offshore wind because we think this can be the shining example of how the clean energy sector can create high road, high-paying jobs,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.
The auction set for next month is known as the New York Bight. Leases have the potential to create 5.6 to 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, which is enough to power nearly 2 million homes, federal officials said.
