New York State has submitted an application for the US Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Grant Program to support construction of Arthur Kill Terminal (AKT) in Staten Island.
AKT will be an offshore wind staging and assembly port built on a 32-acre undeveloped site through a partnership between Empire State Development (ESD) and Arthur Kill Terminal.
The announcement advances Governor Cuomo’s vision for New York to develop 9GW of offshore wind by 2035, leading the nation in green energy production.
New York now has five offshore wind projects and five ports in active development – the largest offshore wind pipeline in the nation totaling more than 4.3GW.
This is enough to power more than 2.4 million homes, and representing nearly 50% of the capacity needed to meet the State’s long-term target.
These projects are expected to deliver thousands of jobs and more than $12.1bn (€10.2bn) of combined economic activity.
ESD chief operating officer and executive deputy commissioner Kevin Younis said: “Utilising underdeveloped land at the Arthur Kill Terminal to create a green energy port and bring new, sustainable economic opportunities to the State advances Empire State Development’s mission to prepare New York’s economy for the future.
“With Arthur Kill Terminal as an offshore wind port, we will continue to serve as leaders in the fight against climate change, while promoting job growth and strengthening our manufacturing sector.”
NYSERDA president and chief executive Doreen M Harris said: “The Arthur Kill Terminal Project will support the delivery of clean energy to power millions of homes, bring thousands of good-paying jobs, with a significant amount of the work going to workers and businesses in historically disadvantaged and environmental justice communities, and provide critical port infrastructure to accelerate the achievement of New York’s offshore wind goals.
“Importantly, this carefully planned project will be operational in time for the imminent East Coast offshore wind construction boom and will be able to service both shallow and deep-water projects – an essential and scarce asset for Atlantic states.”