By GREGORY ZELLER //
From the By Land and By Sea File comes an official transfer of property between New York State and Suffolk County, clearing the path for an ambitious National Offshore Wind Training Center.
On Thursday, joined by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Gov. Kathy Hochul – in the midst of a multi-stop Long Island victory lap, designed to spotlight previously announced and/or completed initiatives before the Nov. 8 election between the incumbent and MAGAfied Republican challenger Lee Zeldin – visited Brentwood, site of the future NOWTC, to “announce” the completed land deal.
Funded by a $10 million stake from Sunrise Wind (a joint venture of Danish multinational Ørsted A/S and Connecticut-based Eversource Energy) – in partnership with the Long Island Federation of Labor/AFL-CIO, Suffolk County Community College and a host of other labor unions and environmental alliances – the NOWTC is not to be confused with New York State’s Offshore Wind Training Institute.
Safety first: Global Wind Organization safety protocols will be in play at the National Offshore Wind Training Center.
The $20 million OWTI – led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, in collaboration with Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College – will focus on training upwards of 2,500 workers to support Long Island’s burgeoning offshore-wind industry.
The NOWTC, meanwhile, will rise on land Suffolk County purchased from the state for $1.46 million. The Brentwood parcel will host a “community-centered space that expands access to family-sustaining job opportunities and educational advancement, particularly for high school- and college-age New Yorkers entering the workforce,” according to Hochul’s office.
The governor on Thursday also announced a fresh “competitive opportunity” being offered by the OWTI – the institute’s second solicitation for training initiatives focused on projected offshore-wind workforce gaps, with a total of $9 million in chunky stipends (between $500,000 and $3 million apiece) up for grabs this round.
The completed land deal and the second solicitation add new momentum to New York’s ambitious clean-energy quest, which includes the development and distribution of 9,000 megawatts of offshore-wind power by 2035.
Doreen Harris: Collaborative spirit.
With the Brentwood land transferred and the forthcoming NOWTC projected to instruct thousands of nationwide offshore-wind workers to exacting Global Wind Organization training standards, Hochul trumpeted an expanding “clean-energy revolution” and said New York is “leading the charge.”
“The national Offshore Wind Training Center will enhance our efforts to prepare our workforce for the green jobs of the future, support the physical infrastructure needed for these clean-energy projects and solidify New York’s role as a global leader in this powerhouse industry,” the governor said Thursday.
While Hochul’s administration is spearheading the movement, the growth of a successful offshore-wind industry in Long Island and other U.S. coastal waters is a total team effort requiring cooperation from across government, industry and academia – adding even more gravitas to Thursday’s weighty announcements, according to NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris.
“New York continues to cement its path to 9 gigawatts of offshore wind while ensuring we establish a diverse, well-trained, locally based talent pool who … will develop, manufacture, construct and operate our clean-energy economy,” said Harris, who also co-chairs the state’s Climate Action Council. “NYSERDA looks forward to the many partnerships that will be created as a result of this opportunity.”
