The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has made over $1m available to support the collection of data through acoustic and oceanographic surveys in the New York Bight Wind Energy Areas.
These surveys will facilitate the responsible development of offshore wind by improving marine environmental understanding, reducing environmental risks, and helping to inform planning for future development, NYSERDA said.
The announcement of the almost $1.3m funding helps advance New York’s progress toward its 9GW offshore wind goal by 2035, as mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).
NYSERDA president and CEO Doreen Harris said: “Data collected through this process will help avoid risks to marine life while providing critical information on marine activity, and will enable us to work even more effectively with partners, stakeholders, and developers to make informed decisions as we build our essential offshore wind industry.”
Through a competitive solicitation, NYSERDA seeks to identify contractors to develop acoustic and oceanographic surveys to collect and analyse field data and conduct site assessment work in the New York Bight Wind Energy Areas (WEAs), as identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).
The survey data will help New York better understand marine mammal presence, habitat use, distribution and seasonal movement, as well as the oceanographic characteristics associated with marine wildlife and the New York Bight’s Cold Pool, a layer of cold water that forms annually and is vital to the life cycle of many marine species, including commercial fisheries.
This solicitation seeks proposals supporting use of autonomous vehicles that will collect physical and biological data in the WEAs during key seasonal periods as well as a network of bottom-mounted passive acoustic monitors that will record marine mammal presence within the WEAs.
The surveys will commence in 2022, with the data expected to be made publicly available in 2023 through a platform to be identified by the winning proposer(s).
The deadline to apply is 10 January 2022.
In addition, NYSERDA will be redeploying a metocean buoy within the New York Bight to continue collecting important data that can be provided to offshore wind developers sooner than when they can conduct their own data collection.
This buoy will collect and make publicly available investment grade information about wind, wave and ocean currents, as well as wildlife data to fill data gaps and reduce uncertainty in the temporal and spatial use of the offshore region by wildlife.