Wind Turbine Manufacturing Plant Coming to Staten Island.

Bit by bit, New York City's electric grid is getting greener. And that's good news for co-op and condo boards looking for ways to cut their buildings' carbon emissions and comply with the looming caps set by Local Law 97. As the electric grid is increasingly powered by renewable sources, boards will be able to move away from fossil fuels and power their building systems with clean electricity, a process known as electrification.

Last week we reported that ground has been broken on the Champlain Hudson Power Express, a $6 billion underground pipeline that will bring hydroelectric power from Canada directly to New York City — meeting 20% of the city's energy needs and moving it away from today's reliance on fossil fuels. Now, Crain's reports, the Economic Development Corp. has awarded a provisional designation to NorthPoint Development to convert a 33-acre waterfront site in Rossville, Staten Island, into a manufacturing and assembly plant for offshore wind turbine components.

The project, once operational, will help the state move toward its climate law mandate of drawing 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and developing 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035, enough to power up to 6 million homes.

The property’s build-out is a key piece of the city's offshore wind plan, created in September 2021, to invest $191 million in repurposing public and private piers, marine terminals and underused waterfront lots into major hubs for the state’s offshore wind supply chain. The idea is to turn such spaces into manufacturing facilities and assembly stations where thousands of local workers can build and perform maintenance on giant wind turbines.

NorthPoint and the EDC must now lock in an offshore wind tenant. The developer is in discussion with several potential companies and plans to continue those talks throughout the coming year.

"The offshore wind industry is poised to revitalize Staten Island's maritime industry in ways we have not seen since the 19th century,” says City Council member Joseph Borelli, who represents the area in southwest Staten Island.

New York now has five offshore wind projects in active development off the coast of Long Island — the largest offshore wind pipeline in the nation, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. And that's good news for New York City co-op and condo boards.