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Third local offshore wind hub could come to East Greenbush
Rick Karlin reports in the Times Union that the Capital Region could get a third offshore wind hub in East Greenbush to go along with others at the Port of Albany and Port of Coeymans. Vestas, a Danish wind power company, took an option in March to purchase a 112-acre Wind Port location, which is just south of the border with Rensselaer across from the Hudson River in East Greenbush. Officials from Vestas did not comment to the newspaper about their plans to build a new port at the site. But the option to purchase the East Greenbush land came from Vestas Blades American, so they may want the port for a blade-making facility. New York law mandates by 2030 getting 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources such as solar or wind, and a zero-emission power grid by 2040. So much renewable infrastructure needs to be built, and large windmills need to travel on barges to be put in place offshore. This summer, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is expected to announce the winners in their third solicitation to develop offshore wind, so more about the new site might be known then. Read more about this story in the Times Union.