2020 Offshore Wind Solicitation (Closed)

Under the Public Service Commission Order Authorizing Offshore Wind Solicitation in 2020, NYSERDA competitively selected and finalized contracts with Empire Wind Offshore LLC and Beacon Wind LLC, each a 50-50 partnership between Equinor and bp, for the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects.

The 1,260-megawatt Empire Wind 2 and 1,230-megawatt Beacon Wind projects were aimed to drive investments in ports to directly support offshore wind projects, provide significant economic benefits to disadvantaged communities and support the responsible retirement of aging fossil fuel plants in Queens and Nassau County.

On January 3, 2024, a Joint Termination Agreement between Empire Wind Offshore LLC and NYSERDA was announced terminating the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate (OREC) Purchase and Sale Agreement for Empire Wind 2.

On January 25, 2024, NYSERDA and Beacon Wind LLC (Beacon Wind), a joint venture between Equinor and bp, entered into an agreement to terminate the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate (OREC) Purchase and Sale Agreement for Beacon Wind.

NYSERDA remains committed to advancing clean energy at the best value for New Yorkers and is optimistic that between the more than four gigawatts conditionally awarded under New York’s third offshore wind solicitation (NY3 or ORECRFP22-1) and the bids received under the fourth solicitation (NY4 or ORECRFP23-1), progress will continue apace toward the States renewable energy goals.

Clean energy, including offshore wind, has proven to be a strong economic driver and will play a pivotal role in creating short- and long-term economic development in the State as New York begins to build back better [PDF] .

Closed Solicitation, ORECRFP20-1

On July 21, 2020 New York took a major step in advancing the State’s nation-leading climate agenda with the announcement of the largest combined solicitations for renewable energy ever issued by a U.S. state seeking 4,000 megawatts.

ORECRFP20-1, NYSERDA’s second offshore wind procurement, sought up to 2,500 megawatts of offshore wind and a complementary multi-port infrastructure investment.

Submitted Proposals

The public versions of the ORECRFP20-1 proposals are included below:

ORECRFP20-1 Schedule

ORECRFP20-1 and Appendices

• Request for Proposals (ORECRFP20-1) [PDF]
• Summary of Updates [PDF]
• Appendix A - Notice of Intent to Propose [PDF]
• Appendix B - Proposer Certification Form [PDF]
• Appendix C.1 - Economic Benefits Claims and Verifications [PDF]
• Appendix C.2 - Port Infrastructure Investment Plan [PDF]
• Appendix D - Elements of the Fisheries Mitigation Plan [PDF]
• Appendix E - Elements of the Environmental Mitigation Plan [PDF]
• Appendix F - Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate Standard Form Purchase and Sale Agreement [DOCX]
• Appendix G - Offer Data Form [XLSX]
• Appendix H - Master Offers Form [XLSX]
• Appendix I - Port Infrastructure Investment Plan Data Form [XLSX]
• Appendix J - Proposal Submission Guide [PDF]
• Data Form Example Package [ZIP]

Eligibility Requirements

The Offshore Wind Standard Order limited project eligibility to projects that generate electricity from offshore wind projects that:

• Are located off the coast of the United States
• Become operational on or after January 1, 2015
• Deliver electricity into New York
• Have obtained a lease (executed or provisional) from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) , and
• (New in ORECRFP20-1) Include plans to support port development with up to $400 million in public and private funding for those port locations qualified under Fall 2019 RFQL 4259 (see map and caption below). Funding sources are as follows:

Eligible Sites for the ORECRFP20-1 Solicitation

Eligible Ports

(Qualified via Fall 2019 RFQL 4259)

• Arthur Kill Terminal (Atlantic Offshore Terminals)
  A 32-acre undeveloped site on Staten Island, NYC.
• Brooklyn Navy Yard (Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation)
  A 35-acre developed site as part of a larger 290-acre facility in Wallabout Bay, Brooklyn, NYC
• Derecktor (Robert E. Derecktor Inc.)
  A 6-acre developed site in Mamaroneck, NY
• New York State Offshore Wind Port (Association Development Group, Inc.)
  A 30-acre undeveloped site as part of a larger 112-acre facility in East Greenbush, NY
• Port of Albany (Albany Port District Commission)
  An 81-acre undeveloped site and a 14-acre redeveloped site as part of a larger 400-acre facility in Albany, NY
• Port of Coeymans (Carver Companies)
  A 36-acre developed site as part of a larger 425-acre facility in Coeymans, NY
• Port Cortlandt (AKRF, Inc.)
  A 20-acre undeveloped site in Cortlandt, Westchester County, NY
• Port Ivory (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)
  A 64-acre site on Staten Island comprised of 38 undeveloped acres and 26 unused developed acres on Staten Island, NYC
• Port Jefferson (Sunrise Wind LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource)
  A 4-acre site at Port Jefferson, NY
• South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal L.P., a partnership between Red Hook Terminals and Industry City)
  A 72-acre developed site in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NYC
• Tompkins Cove (Haugland Group LLC)
  A 15-acre developed site in Tomkins Cove, NY in the mid-Hudson region

Contract Requirements

The Orders authorize NYSERDA to

• Support the delivery of economic benefits and supply chain investment to New Yorkers by:

• Support environmental and fisheries stewardship as part of the responsible and cost-effective development of offshore wind by:

Evaluation Criteria

The Offshore Wind Orders prescribe the evaluation of proposals to be based upon an ultimate weighting of 70% price considerations, 20% economic benefits to New Yorkers, and 10% project viability.

Proposers' Conference

NYSERDA hosted a conference for proposers via webinar on August 12, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET. This webinar reviewed elements of the RFP including eligibility criteria, submission requirements, the proposal evaluation process, contract commitments, and the post-award process and agreement.

Slides from this webinar can be found via this link [PDF]

Communications and Updates regarding the RFP

All relevant documents pertaining to this RFP will be available on this site. Proposers are advised to check this website regularly for updates.