Syracuse, NY -- The New York Power Authority came to the Syracuse Center of Excellence Thursday to enlist local companies in the effort to build wind turbines in the Great Lakes. Representatives of about 80 companies showed up to hear about the project, and a dozen signed up on the spot to be part of the Great Lakes Offshore...
Wind turbines are seen at the world's biggest offshore wind farm operated by Dong Energy in the North Sea, near Denmark. The New York Power Authority held a wind power conference in Syracuse Thursday to talk about planned offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes.Syracuse, NY -- The New York Power Authority came to the Syracuse Center of Excellence Thursday to enlist local companies in the effort to build wind turbines in the Great Lakes.
Representatives of about 80 companies showed up to hear about the project, and a dozen signed up on the spot to be part of the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Business Registry, according to NYPA.
Companies can make themselves known to the wind power developer or developers selected to build 120 to 500 megawatts of generation in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario or both. NYPA will require a percentage of the materials and labor to come from New York state companies. The aim is to help build a domestic wind industry in the state.
““It has the potential to create hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs,” said Richard Kessel, president and CEO of the power authority, a meeting of The Post-Standard editorial board Thursday.
NYPA held similar “Get Listed!” events in Buffalo and Rochester and will hold another July 27 in Dunkirk. Businesses can sign up anytime at www.nypa.gov/glowbusinessregistry.
The power authority issued a request for proposals in December and received five bids by the June 1 deadline. Kessel said the bids are being evaluated by staff and consultants. The authority hopes to select winning proposals by the end of the year or early next year, complete environmental reviews by 2013, begin construction that same year and start producing power by 2015-16.
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has changed the terms of the debate over wind power, Kessel said. “What do you want in the water — oil rigs, cargo ships or windmills?” he asked. “I’d rather have windmills.”
Kessel also addressed these topics:
• NYPA had 44 responses to its request for proposals to install 100 megawatts of solar energy around New York in partnership with the state. It hopes to award some contracts in the fall and have the solar installed by 2014. One or two of those projects are likely to be in Central New York, he said.
• Power for Jobs, allocations of cheap NYPA power to manufacturers in the state, will go away if the state Legislature does not act before the session ends. The Senate passed a bill called Energize New York that would allocate cheap power to businesses under a long-term contract, rather than year to year. Gov. David Paterson supports it. The Assembly has yet to act and may be too preoccupied with the budget to do so. “I’m worried about it,” Kessel said.
• Over the past two years, Kessel said the power authority has given “voluntary contributions” of $540 million to the state to help close its budget gap. It’s being asked to “give” another $40 million by the end of the month. Kessel said the authority can’t keep giving the state money and work renewable energy projects and upgrades to its existing power plants.
“NYPA is not a billion-dollar piggy bank,” he said.
Contact Marie Morelli at mmorelli@syracuse.com or 470-2220.