Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, issued a solicitation for 800 megawatts or more of offshore wind for the state’s large-scale contracts towards meeting the goal of 2,400 megawatts by 2030, according to a Nov. 8 announcement by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The goal supports the state’s Clean Energy Standard which requires half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. Offshore wind is expected to draw an estimated $6 billion of investments to the state. In August, Cuomo announced a research initiative to study successful offshore wind transmission models, particularly large-scale European projects, to guide the state toward its goal. The agency requires at least one 400-megawatt project from each proposer, and has the ability to award 25-year contracts for proposals ranging from 200 megawatts to 800 megawatts. Bids are due in February 2019 with awards expected in the spring, allowing developers to utilize the expiring federal tax credits. The U.S. offshore wind industry is picking up pace as eastern states are setting aggressive wind energy procurement goals. In September, New Jersey launched the largest single-state solicitation for 1,100 megawatts of offshore wind towards meeting the state’s 3,500-megawatt goal by 2030. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut recently contracted for offshore wind capacity totaling 1,400 megawatts.