Offshore Wind Facts

Don’t let misinformation impact your judgement. Get the facts.

  • No! Multiple scientific studies have concluded that the offshore wind industry does not propose a threat to whales. In fact, offshore wind will help the whales by reducing carbon emissions and lowering ocean temperatures, whales won’t have to leave their normal areas to find food. MORE

  • For the majority of projects now under development in New York, they will be hard, if not impossible, to see from shore with the naked eye. Currently, only the Empire Wind turbines, which are located 14 nautical miles from shore, will be barely visible, and only under the clearest weather conditions. All other New York projects are further, at least 21 to 63 miles away from the New York coastline and will not be visible from shore.

  • Currently, NYSERDA estimates an average bill impact of $0.95 per month, but costs continue falling. In Europe, where offshore wind has been in the mix for 30 years, prices are already competitive with traditional sources. We expect the impact to ratepayers to only improve as this industry evolves.

  • Absolutely! It’s important to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change for the benefit of all. We saw in 2023 how the Canadian wildfires affected the New York air quality. Offshore wind is part of the larger solution to increase the health of all.

  • Nope, The World Health Organization's website provides information about EMF and states: Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health. Offshore wind power cables fall well below allowable levels. For more.

Environmental Benefits

New York state’s bourgeoning offshore wind industry will soon be delivering clean locally produced power moving us away from fossil fuels and providing New Yorkers with more robust clean energy solutions. Offshore wind is poised to become a significant source of affordable, renewable power in New York and is key to ensuring that our future electricity will come from 100 percent clean and renewable sources benefitting communities across the state by 2040.

Job Creation and Economic Opportunity

New York state is expected to create more than 10,000 new jobs by 2035 as offshore wind becomes more central to the state’s clean energy economy and infrastructure. Additionally, a combination of five major offshore wind development projects will have an economic impact more than $12.1 billion, including within New York’s frontline communities, yet another significant benefit of our transition away from fossil fuels into offshore wind.

Port and Community Revitalization

New York’s ports will be economic engines for their communities and cities where they operate with significant resources and capital already committed to outfitting and modernizing them to transition to developing components, turbines and staging for the offshore wind industry. $700 million of investment and funding has already been committed from local, state and federal sources to train workers and revamp operations of the five ports located in Albany, Coeymans, Brooklyn, Brookhaven and Montauk, bringing hundreds of new job opportunities with economic development.

The effects of climate change are no longer a distant threat, but a reality of today; the time to move on from fossil fuels is now. Offshore Wind development is a cornerstone of New York and the United State’s plan to move away from fossil fuels and towards a renewable, resilient, cost-effective grid.

New York plans to host at least 9 GW of offshore wind projects by 2035, enough to power more than 3 million homes. As the costs of fossil fuels rise in the wake of the pandemic, inflation, and global instability, the prices of offshore wind and other technologies continue to fall.

Investing in this new technology will provide numerous benefits, including healthier air, new job and career opportunities, and a reliable grid with power generated near those who use it most.