By JEFF LIPTON
Long Island Power Authority and Con Edison are floating a joint proposal to develop the emission-free wind farm at least 13 miles off the Rockaway Peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean.
The site was chosen for the wind farm because it straddles the areas serviced by LIPA and Con Ed, explained LIPA spokesman Ed Dumas. "In order to do the project, we have to get power from any potential wind farm to both service territories," Dumas said, as the two utility giants released a joint feasibility study on March 23 showing the wind project is doable.
Wind farms harness the power of the wind to convert it to electricity. An offshore tower containing wind turbines would be built, and undersea cable would be used for power transmission from the offshore turbines.
Michael Clendenin, a spokesman for Con Ed, said the application would call for the wind farm to produce 350 megawatts of wind power, with the ability to double it to 700 megawatts and possibly eventually upgrade it to 1,400 megawatts by the year 2020. Officials said 700 megawatts would be able to power 700,000 homes on Long Island and Queens, officials said.
The exact cost of the project is still unknown, but infrastructure improvements on land alone would cost $810 million to upgrade the utility companies' equipment to accept the power from the offshore facility. Dumas said they were seeking investment in the project from the private sector to help defray the costs and will accept proposals beginning in June.
In the Atlantic Ocean, the project would call for the creation of about 200 turbines to produce 750 megawatts of wind power, Dumas added.
Plans for the wind farm are still in its infant stages, and if it receives approval, it may not be up and running in five or six years, officials said.
Studies must be completed to determine if the wind farm is economically feasible and will have no adverse effect on the environment, including fish, birds and other wildlife. It will also undergo a battery of hearings to receive public input, as well as an approval process from the federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has the final say.
If the project is given the go-ahead, it will be the first offshore wind farm in the country, and the largest proposal of its kind. In August 2007 LIPA killed a proposal to build one three miles off Jones Beach because it was too expensive, even though a survey showed that more than 80 percent of Long Islanders wanted it built. It would have cost the average ratepayer an extra $2.50 per month over 20 years.
"The difference between this project and that one is that one was too small, too costly and too close to shore," Dumas said. "This one would be 13 miles off shore, and the aesthetic impact would be negligible."
The proposal for the offshore wind farm arose from Gov. David Paterson's Renewable Energy Task Force and follows his "45 by 15" program, which sets the goal for the state to meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and renewable sources by the year 2015.
"As a member of Gov. Paterson's Renewable Energy Task Force," LIPA President and CEO Kevin Law said. "I remain committed to not only continue with the next phase of the process, but also to bring this wind project to fruition if we can make it cost effective for our customers."
LIPA and Con Ed officials called the project exciting and said it will mark the first time the two utility giants have collaborated on a venture. "It looks like a win-win for everyone," Clendenin said.
Local environmentalist Morris Kramer, who lives in Atlantic Beach, said he would reserve judgment on the wind farm until he reviews the environmental impact statement, which is not due out for several months. He said that placing the wind farm 13 miles off shore would probably be far enough for it to be out of sight from the shoreline. "At this point, I am in favor of exploring renewable energy sources," said Kramer, who added that he would be interested in finding out the project's potential effects on aquatic life. "There's some good fishing out there, and I would be cautious with all the fish life."
Local lawmakers said they too supported the alternative energy source offered by a wind farm, but not if it would cause problems for the surrounding areas. "I think that any new source that provides energy to our communities has to be seriously explored," Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside) said. "Finding additional sources of wind energy is long overdue in this part of the country."
"It's worth listening to," Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) said. "Anything like that is worth an investigation."
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
