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Local & National Groups Join LIPA as Offshore Wind Park Application is Announced.
Representatives from a broad coalition of environmental groups stood with utility officials at the beach to show their support for offshore wind power as the filing of an application for New York's first offshore wind energy project was announced on Long Island.
News Release:Enviros Support Offshore Wind Park
[Cedar Beach, Long Island] Representatives from local, state and national environmental groups expressed their unanimous support for offshore wind power today as they joined utility officials announcing the filing of an application to build a 140 megawatt wind energy project off the South Shore of Long Island.
“We are enthusiastic about the proposed Long Island Offshore Wind Park because it sets the stage for a new era of clean, sustainable energy technologies that protect our health, environment and quality of life,” said Gordian Raacke, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI). “For Long Islanders, this wind project is a smart investment in harvesting a local energy supply that will never be subject to fossil fuel costs, the whims of OPEC, or international conflicts.”
A coalition of environmental organizations known as the Long Island Offshore Wind Initiative (LIOWI), had asked LIPA in 2001 to study the feasibility of turning abundant ocean breezes into pollution-free electricity. Encouraged by the results of two studies and LIPA’s support for an offshore wind park that would provide enough electricity to power 44,000 homes, LIOWI conducted dozens of meetings all over Long Island to inform the public about the planned project, receiving mostly positive reactions.
“Wind power is a visionary, long-term solution that is a good investment for our local economy, public health protection and our environment,” stated Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Today, we move a giant step closer to meeting the Island’s growing energy needs with clean, completely safe, domestic energy from the wind. In years to come, Long Islanders will be proud of this milestone project,” Esposito added.
"On Long Island, community and environmental organizations have long developed a reputation for fighting in opposition to things; it is unprecedented that today, so many environmental organizations have come together to work towards the goal of building the Nation's first off-shore wind park," said Neal Lewis, Executive Director of the Long Island Neighborhood Network. "It is exciting to see Long Island providing leadership in promoting clear and renewable sources of energy."
The proposal has received consistently high approval ratings from the general public. In a recent Cablevision News 12 poll, 82% of those polled said they “support installing energy producing windmills off the Island's South Shore”, and a Newsday poll found 87% supportive of LIPA’s offshore wind project. Offshore wind energy production is also supported by the Island’s leading labor and business organizations such as the Long Island Association, Hauppauge Industrial Association, Long Island Mid-Suffolk Business Association and the Nassau/Suffolk Building and Construction Trades Council.
"We are encouraged by regional groups' and communities' positive responses for this project, which is not a surprise given that wind technology provides electricity without dangerous pollution and at minimal cost to consumers," said Jason K. Babbie, Environmental Policy Analyst for the New York Public Interest Research Group. "Now the official phase begins, providing Long Islanders with additional opportunities to be heard on this pioneering renewable energy proposal."
While many offshore wind projects operate successfully in Europe, there are only two proposed projects in the U.S. The application for the Long Island wind park will be submitted by LIPA and FPL Energy this week to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) which initiates an open regulatory and environmental review process with extensive opportunities for public review and comment.
"This project moves us towards an energy future that is defined by renewable resources that bring clean energy and green jobs to Long Island,” said Rob Moore, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New York. “Offshore wind power gives New Yorkers a way of generating clean and affordable energy while decreasing the state's enormous contribution to global warming and other air pollution problems."
In addition to regional groups, national environmental organizations were on hand at Cedar Beach to express their support for offshore wind technology. Philippe Cousteau, Jacques Cousteau’s grandson and President of EarthEcho International was joined by representatives from Greenpeace USA and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
"Greenpeace has been active protecting the world’s oceans and promoting solutions to the world's worst environmental problems for over 30 years and we support offshore wind as a very important way to curb dangerous global warming”, said Chris Miller, Clean Energy Now Campaigner with Greenpeace. “We are excited to work with environmental groups in New York to ensure that this project is successful."
“We firmly believe that we must harness offshore wind energy in our efforts to combat climate change, reduce air pollution and increase energy security,” said Ashok Gupta, Senior Energy Economist for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Given the very high fuel prices we are seeing, investing in wind energy is an excellent strategy to help keep energy prices down on Long Island.”
More information about the offshore wind park and the Long Island Offshore Initiative is at www.LIoffshoreWindEnergy.org
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Background Info on Globally Installed Wind Technology
Background Information on Global Wind Technology
Globally, wind power development is experiencing dramatic growth. Many European countries, faced with increasing prices of oil and natural gas and concerned about climate change, have made the construction of land-based and offshore wind farms a top energy policy priority.
According to the Brussels based Global Wind Energy Council (www.gwec.net ) the global wind power industry installed 7,976 megawatts (MW) in 2004, an increase in total installed generating capacity of 20%. Installed global wind power capacity has grown to 47,317MW. The countries with the highest total installed wind power capacity are:
1. Germany (16,629 MW)
2. Spain (8,263 MW)
3. United States (6,740 MW)
4. Denmark (3,117 MW)
5. India (3,000 MW)
A number of countries, including Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, and the UK, are above or near the 1,000-MW mark.
According to GWEC, Europe continued to dominate the global market in 2004, accounting for 72.4% of new installations (5,774 MW). Asia had a 15.9% of installation share (1,269 MW), followed by North America (6.4%; 512 MW) and the Pacific Region (4.1%; 325 MW). Latin America + the Caribbean (49 MW) and Africa (47 MW) had a 0.6% market share respectively.
Offshore wind farms now account for about 2% of Europe's total wind capacity and supply 600 megawatts (MW), enough electricity for about 240,000 homes. Some forecasts show that offshore turbines could be supplying 10,000 MW throughout Europe within five years. Germany alone plans to have 3,500 MW of offshore wind farms by 2010.
A study by Garrad Hassan & Partners Ltd., an international energy-consulting firm, commissioned by Greenpeace, concluded that offshore wind could supply electricity for every household in Europe within 15 years. The electricity would be cheaper than nuclear power or coal, and would create up to 3 million jobs, the study says.
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