The proposed project will:
- Generate enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of New York homes
- Create almost 700 direct jobs and drive approximately $3 billion in economic activity
- Provide a key building block for New York to meet its clean energy goals and support large, energy-intensive economic development projects
- Invest up to $250 million in union workforce development, environmental funding, STEM programming in Title 1 Schools, and resources for Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOBs)
Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures (NGV), today (Sept 9) submitted a proposal to provide enough new offshore wind power to New York to power hundreds of thousands of homes. If selected for the state's fifth offshore wind solicitation, this project would significantly advance New York's clean energy goals while driving large-scale job creation and economic growth. The proposed project would be developed in the New York Bight lease area that RWE and NGV secured in 2022, which has a capacity of up to 3 GW of offshore wind energy.
As New York continues to lead the country in innovation, reliable clean energy is necessary to support the current pace of economic growth. New York needs significant new generation capacity from clean energy, and offshore wind remains uniquely positioned to deliver given its scale. Community Offshore Wind is poised to deliver this needed clean electricity to meet rising demand while increasing grid reliability and delivering significant local economic benefits.
The project will also mark a major step toward achieving Governor Kathy Hochul's 10-Point Action Plan to expand and support the large-scale renewable energy industry in New York, while also diversifying the state's sources of electricity and helping combat the impacts of severe weather.
Community Offshore Wind's project will be a major driver of economic growth in New York. The proposed project will directly put nearly 700 people to work and drive approximately $3 billion in economic activity. Community Offshore Wind is committed to building on its unwavering commitment to union labor and utilizing New York's skilled union workforce for construction of the project while investing in workforce training to ensure more New York workers can access good-paying union careers.
Community Offshore Wind is committed to ensuring that New Yorkers across the state benefit from this economic growth. The proposal includes a commitment to invest up to $250 million in New York's workers and communities, including programs and services that address barriers that frequently prevent New Yorkers in disadvantaged communities from accessing job opportunities. If awarded a contract, Community Offshore Wind will invest heavily in wraparound services for workers, job training programs, STEM education and technical assistance for small businesses. Specific initiatives include:
- Partnering with the United Way of New York State to provide reduced-cost childcare services for all offshore wind workers and trainees in New York, addressing a challenge that holds many working parents back from securing stable, good-paying careers;
- Free swimming lessons for 10,000 children from disadvantaged communities. Swimming is not only a critical life skill, but also a prerequisite for working on offshore wind projects.
- A Wraparound/Barriers Fund to eliminate barriers to workforce participation by partnering with community organizations to address transportation gaps; enhancing language access by providing robust ESL resources; and providing basic needs such as laundry services, business attire, warm clothing, and pioneer legal aid for justice-involved individuals pursuing clean energy careers.
- A Powering Up the Workforce Fund that will create a career-readiness curriculum and fund mentoring for youth and adult underemployed populations. Community Offshore Wind is collaborating with organized labor to ensure participants in this career-readiness program are prepared to succeed on union jobs.
- An Education Fund that will support K-12 STEM programming in Title 1 Schools, with a focus on providing creative, experiential learning opportunities for students that will prepare them for jobs in offshore wind and other STEM-related careers.
- A Supply Chain Fund earmarked for programs to strengthen New York's local offshore wind supply chain. Through working capital loans, technical guidance, and mentoring for small businesses, M/WBEs, and SDVOBs, this initiative will prioritize supporting businesses in underserved communities.
These community investments would add to Community Offshore Wind's commitment to New York to date, including donating more than 3,000 STEM-focused books to families in Brooklyn, cleaning up more than 1,000 pounds of garbage from the Long Island and Brooklyn waterfronts, and providing 30,000 fresh seafood meals to food banks throughout the state.
"The buildout of offshore wind is an opportunity to do far more than just expand New York's clean energy capacity, and we've designed a project that will deliver new economic opportunity to every corner of the state," said Doug Perkins, President & Project Director of Community Offshore Wind. "Offshore wind is necessary to meet rising energy demand and enable New York's economic growth, and our project's investments will create good-paying union jobs and help build an offshore wind supply chain that benefits the region. We're committed to working with NYSERDA to achieve Governor Hochul's nation-leading clean energy goals and New York's leadership in offshore wind."
"For the past two years the Community Offshore Wind team has been on the ground in New York neighborhoods listening to what communities need and want," said Pat Johnson, Vice President and Deputy Project Director for Community Offshore Wind. "These community relationships and conversations have helped us build a proposal that will meet the needs of New York. Community Offshore Wind is committed to using our project to create accessible and equitable economic opportunities, and by investing in the local supply chain and workforce development programs, opening doors to new opportunities for New York's families and workers."
Community Offshore Wind is committed to the safe and responsible development of offshore wind and to supporting the region's recreational and commercial fishing industries. The new proposal also includes funding for conservation and fisheries support programs. These investments will build on Community Offshore Wind's groundbreaking Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will transform environmental monitoring for offshore wind projects and increase transparency between researchers and developers.
RWE is one of the world's largest offshore wind companies and a leading developer of clean energy in the United States with a track record of success that includes the development and operation of 19 offshore wind farms worldwide and more than 9 GW of onshore wind, solar, and battery storage across the U.S.
National Grid and its legacy companies have operated in the northeast for over 125 years and the company employs more than 5,000 people in the New York area. National Grid Ventures leads the industry in subsea cable capabilities. The company's North Sea Link project is the world's longest subsea interconnector, and it connected the world's largest offshore wind farm to the electric grid.
Learn more about Community Offshore Wind at https://communityoffshorewind.com/.
Messages of Support for Community Offshore Wind:
"New York's clean energy transition is a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity that will create thousands of good jobs and open up new opportunities for local businesses. To maximize the benefits of this moment, it is critical that the State works with developers who are serious about keeping these economic benefits in the communities where work takes place," said Randy Peers, CEO of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. "Community Offshore Wind's proposal includes commitments to work with New York companies and uplift local communities through STEM education, workforce development, and resources for MWBEs, and SDVOBs. We're confident they're the right partner for New York, and we look forward to working with them to improve the lives of our Brooklyn neighbors."
"Establishing New York as a hub for the American offshore wind industry will drive long-term job creation and economic growth that benefits Brooklynites and New Yorkers across the state for decades to come, but we have to start laying the foundation for that future now," said Jesse Solomon, Executive Director of the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation. "Community Offshore Wind's proposed project will put us on the path to economic prosperity by creating opportunities for New York businesses to partner with leaders in the global offshore wind industry while providing training and resources to ensure businesses are prepared to seize these opportunities and others that come as a New York's offshore wind industry continues to grow."
"The success of the offshore wind industry in New York could deliver economic opportunity to the state and region that rivals the post-WWII boom, but our workers and businesses need open engagement and collaboration from developers to make it happen," said Phil Rugile, Executive Director of the Institute for Workforce Advancement. "Our longtime partners at Community Offshore Wind continue to deliver proposals that prioritize the creation of a strong, skilled and job-ready workforce, including investments in new pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, job training facilities, and early STEM education programs that will spark interest in these careers for the next generation. Their selection by NYSERDA won't just be a win for New York's climate goals, but a win for workers across the state."
"Red Hook Initiative appreciates Community Offshore Wind going above and beyond to break down the longstanding barriers to economic growth and opportunity for New Yorkers, including the community we serve in Red Hook, Brooklyn," said Michael Partis, Executive Director of Red Hook Initiative. "Community Offshore Wind has fought to reduce hunger by donating tens of thousands of meals including fresh, local seafood through our urban farm program; and broadening educational opportunities for our youth with funding for field trips to museums and science centers. In our close partnership, they always deliver and make it possible to enhance the impact of our programs. Their commitment to our community is strong and I'm certain that their ability to drive positive change will increase when they are selected to develop their offshore wind project for New York."
"Offshore wind will be a major driver of economic growth on Long Island, supporting small businesses and creating good, local jobs that allow the next generation of Long Islanders to grow their careers here at home. However, we will only see these benefits if offshore wind developers prioritize the communities where projects take place," said Dan Lloyd, Founder of Minority Millennials. "Community Offshore Wind is building their project the right way, with a focus on partnering with organizations like Minority Millennials to ensure their project benefits Long Islanders. They have already invested tens of thousands of dollars in education and training programs, and their proposed project includes commitments to invest millions more in this work. We hope that we get to work with them to bring these proposals to life, bringing much needed jobs that can sustain Long Island families."
"As New York advances its clean energy transition, it is crucial to ensure that all New Yorkers, particularly those from historically underserved areas, are included. Community Offshore Wind has demonstrated their commitment to supporting Brooklyn's communities through partnerships with us and other nonprofits. Their latest proposal allocates millions for community initiatives, workforce development, and further support, building on their previous contributions," said Evelyn Ortiz, Co-CEO of Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. "We are proud to collaborate with an offshore wind developer that is genuinely invested in fostering an equitable clean energy future for our state."
"From day one, Community Offshore Wind has worked with us to help reach local students and communicate the critical importance of resilient waterfronts and strong ocean ecosystems. With their help, we were able to offer more than 400 second- and third- grade Uniondale students the chance to get out on the water and get hands-on education about marine sciences; clean up neglected waterfront sites that protect coastal communities and support ocean life; and hold in-classroom sessions to spark an interest in STEM education for the next generation," said Robert Weltner, President of Operation SPLASH. "As longtime partners who know first-hand about their commitment to New Yorkers, we're confident that Community Offshore Wind is the right partner for our state as the clean energy transition continues to build momentum."
"Tomorrow's clean energy future will be built by today's students. Partnering with Community Offshore Wind has helped to ensure students have opportunities to build the fundamental skills they need to one day pursue careers in offshore wind and STEM," said Liz Gallo, Founder & CEO of WhyMaker. "Their team has also joined us at our NYS Clean Energy Institutes, which provide New York educators with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively teach students about clean energy and the importance of a future powered by renewable energy. These combined efforts are improving the quality and breadth of education students receive, and we believe in their project to continue supporting robust, competitive STEM education for K-12 children."
For further inquiries:
Community Offshore Wind
Molly Gilson
Communications Lead
M. +1 781-249-7706
E. MollyG@communityoffshorewind.com
About Community Offshore Wind
RWE and National Grid, will bring clean energy to the Northeastern US in a joint venture called Community Offshore Wind. They will develop offshore wind on the largest parcel in the New York Bight with the potential to host 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, which is enough to power more than one million US homes and businesses. The project is expected to be in operation by the end of 2030. Community Offshore Wind is dedicated to investing in communities by bringing clean energy jobs to the region and growing the local economy. They will deliver sustainable energy safely, reliably, and efficiently to the communities they serve.
About RWE
RWE is leading the way to a green energy world. With its investment and growth strategy Growing Green, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonization of the energy system. Around 20,000 employees work for the company in almost 30 countries worldwide. RWE is already one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy. Between 2024 and 2030, RWE will invest 55 billion euros worldwide in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy, batteries, flexible generation, and hydrogen projects. By the end of the decade, the company's green portfolio will grow to more than 65 gigawatts of generation capacity, which will be perfectly complemented by global energy trading. RWE is decarbonizing its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net-zero by 2040. Fully in line with the company's purpose - Our energy for a sustainable life.
National Grid Ventures
National Grid is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people throughout our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
National Grid Ventures (NGV) is the non-regulated division of National Grid plc, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world. NGV operates outside of National Grid's core regulated businesses in the US and UK where it develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies and partnerships to accelerate the development of a clean energy future. NGV's diverse portfolio of low carbon and renewable energy businesses across the UK, Europe and US includes subsea electricity interconnectors, wind and solar power, and battery storage. For more information, visit https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures.
