The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has pre-qualified 79 private developers and investors to collaborate on the development of renewable energy generating projects, including solar, wind, battery storage, green hydrogen, geothermal, and related transmission.
The developers and investors were selected based on a Request for Information (RFI) issued in March that sought to assess potential interest and opportunities for renewable developers, contractors and companies. While the RFI was seeking developers across a range of renewable energy sectors, some were qualified only for one technology or category.
Respondents were assessed based on several considerations, including an evaluation of experience, financial overview, partnership structure customization and flexibility, knowledge of market dynamics and incentives, previous successful engagement within New York State, and team size and resources.
Those that were chosen are prequalified for 5 years and may now respond to both future Requests for Proposals (RFP) or other procurement offerings from NYPA.
“Through this solicitation we have identified 79 qualified potential partners that are eager to join with us to advance renewable energy generation at scale and help us advance the state’s bold climate agenda,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “We are confident that building this stable of prequalified companies will allow NYP to move forward decisively in deploying additional renewable energy generation for the benefit of all New Yorkers.”
New York State’s nation-leading energy goals has set it on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70% renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. In 2019, New York enacted the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which established objectives and requirements aimed at addressing climate change and guiding the state toward a clean energy-based economy.
With solar as a strong part of the clean energy mix, the state created a framework to achieve at least 10 GW of distributed solar by 2030, enough to annually power nearly 700,000 average-sized homes. That framework provides a strategy to expand the state’s already successful NY-Sun initiative into one of the largest and most inclusive solar programs of its kind in the nation.
The 2023-24 Enacted State Budget provided NYPA with enhanced authority over renewable energy generation and storage projects to help support the state’s renewable energy goals. In addition, new renewable projects will support the new
REACH program, which aims to enable low-income and moderate-income electricity customers to receive bill credits through the production of renewable energy by NYPA.
The RFQ will remain open and additional participants may still submit qualification. Also NYPA says that companies that did not qualify for this solicitation may respond to future procurement actions that may better align with their business models.
“We are very encouraged by such a positive response to our RFQ,” said Vennela Yadhati, NYPA vice president of renewable project development. “Having a deep bench of qualified partners will allow us to proceed deliberately and expeditiously as projects are identified.”
NYPA will now proceed with a planning process that will include conferrals and public hearings on its renewable energy development strategic plan, which NYPA will publish in January 2025.
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Does anyone know if there is still opportunity for RFI process? NY has great renewable policies for developing new PV projects.