For Immediate Release: 11/01/23

Contact: Susan Craig | susan.craig@nypa.gov | (914) 287-3691

New York Power Authority Completes Formal Conferral Listening Sessions with Renewable Energy Stakeholders

Conferral Input to Help Inform NYPA’s Renewable Energy Development Approach

Conferral Report to be Published in December

WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has completed its formal conversations with stakeholders as part of its first annual conferral process called for in legislation included in the 2023-24 Enacted State Budget regarding NYPA’s new authority to develop, own and operate renewable energy generating projects to assist the state in meeting its clean energy targets. The Power Authority has met with more than 50 stakeholder groups and will be compiling stakeholder input that will be summarized in a report NYPA will make available on its website in December. Interested parties are encouraged to share additional input on an ongoing basis and can submit comments to NYPARenewablesConferral@nypa.gov.

“As we continue to expand NYPA’s role in the clean energy transition in New York State, it has been extremely helpful and informative to listen to stakeholders from different regions and sectors throughout the state,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “The Power Authority is looking ahead to formulating our NYPA renewables strategic plan and the conferral input we have received to date will help us identify and prioritize new renewable energy generation projects that can assist the state in reaching its decarbonization goals.”

Through the conferral process, the Power Authority gathered input from state agencies and regulatory entities regarding their progress on achieving New York’s renewable energy targets as outlined in the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) as well as the generator interconnection process managed by the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). NYPA then conferred with an array of additional stakeholders, including climate and resiliency experts, labor organizations, and environmental justice and community organizations about the state’s progress toward meeting its climate goals and other state priorities, such as green job creation.

A conferral report that includes stakeholder perspectives on the state’s progress on CLCPA renewable energy goals, information about the generation NYISO interconnection process, and other important issues will be made available on NYPA’s website in December. NYPA will use the report and stakeholder comments when developing its strategic plan to identify projects and other actions NYPA will undertake to support the state's renewable energy goals. NYPA will publish its first biennial strategic plan in January 2025.

NYPA’s internal conferral task force is led by Yves Noel, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, and Phil Toia, president, NYPA Development, and consists of a cross-functional team that leverages internal subject matter experts from across NYPA, including development, strategy, legal and technical departments.

In May 2023, the 2023-24 Enacted State Budget provided NYPA with new authority to develop, own, and operate renewable energy generating projects—either alone or in collaboration with other entities—to support the state's renewable energy goals in the CLCPA, maintain an adequate and reliable supply of electric power and energy in the state, and support the new REACH program, which will enable low-income and moderate-income electricity customers to receive bill credits through the production of renewable energy by NYPA.

Read “Conferral with NYPA: NYS Renewables Progress,” a background document that was shared with conferees here and in Spanish here.

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New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's nation-leading climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economywide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $55 billion in 145 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 165,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector in 2021 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with nearly 400 registered and more than 100 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.

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