New York State plans to start bidding for 2GW scenery project
It is reported that Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York State, recently released the sixth competitive bidding in the state to purchase more than 2GW of electricity from large-scale renewable energy projects.
These renewable energy projects will supply power to more than 600000 households in New York State, and provide developers with opportunities to deploy more renewable energy. The development of these projects is expected to stimulate nearly $3 billion in clean energy investment and create more than 2000 jobs in the state.
And introducing more clean energy into the grid can accelerate the realization of the energy goal set by New York State, that is, 70% of the state’s electricity will come from renewable energy by 2030.
Hochul said, “Renewable energy is the pillar of comprehensive measures to build a clean power grid in New York State, and provides a reliable way for the industry to participate in our clean energy transformation and benefit all New Yorkers. The strong public-private partnership to build these projects will not only enable us to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the process of coping with climate change, but also bring thousands of new jobs Billion dollars of economic growth and more investment for local communities. “
New York State has signed contracts to purchase power from more than 120 new large-scale renewable energy power generation facilities, including photovoltaic power plants, onshore wind farms and hydropower facilities, some of which will be equipped with energy storage systems. The renewable energy generation project selected through this bidding is expected to generate about 450MWh of electricity every year.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) is expected to select successful developers in the spring of 2023. No payment will be made for these projects until all necessary permits and approvals have been obtained and electricity is supplied to the state.
Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO of New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA), said, “We are making every effort to build more large-scale renewable energy projects throughout the state to achieve our renewable energy goals. Governor Hochul is committed to ensuring that local communities have a voice in the development of these projects. The New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) looks forward to cooperating with selected developers and regions to ensure that these projects are promoted and bring huge economic benefits to communities.”
The important terms of this bidding include actively evaluating projects that can effectively benefit underserved communities, creating employment opportunities and welfare for vulnerable communities, and strongly encouraging labor development commitments and partnerships with labor and trade organizations.
This bidding also sets the minimum requirements for purchasing domestically produced steel products in the United States to encourage the use of domestic steel products in the construction of photovoltaic systems and wind power facilities, and requires developers to provide opportunities for American steel suppliers to participate in the renewable energy industry, so as to comply with the requirements of the Buy American Act in New York State.
The tender calls for the payment of applicable current wages to workers associated with the construction of any of the winning projects to ensure the quality of construction and increase employment in New York State. It encourages and prioritizes developers committed to hiring minority and women owned enterprises (MWBE) and serving disabled veterans owned enterprises (SDVOB). The successful bidder is also encouraged to avoid developing on high-quality agricultural land, and promised to take measures to support sustainable agriculture and provide funds to support regional agricultural operation.
This bidding ensures that the community where the project will win the bid fully participates in the development process and that the bid winner promises to actively participate in community activities. It continues to encourage bidding schemes that combine renewable energy and energy storage technologies in a cost-effective manner, including prioritizing the deployment of energy storage systems in the main fossil energy service areas of the state to reduce the impact of serious pollution in vulnerable communities.
Eligible projects include any large-scale renewable energy project that can be certified as a first-class renewable energy technology and put into operation after January 1, 2015. The bid winning project that has not been put into operation must prove that it can achieve commercial operation in May 2025, and can be extended to May 2028 optionally.