The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to pull the plug on its current planning process for offshore wind power lines. Because the Trump administration has put a freeze on permitting new offshore wind projects, New York says it’s “impossible” to move ahead on schedule.
To avoid sticking ratepayers with the cost of building transmission lines for wind farms that can’t break ground anytime soon, the PSC is pulling back for now.
“One of our most important tasks is to protect consumers,” said PSC chair Rory Christian. “Given the uncertainty coming out of Washington regarding offshore wind, we must act to protect consumers by withdrawing our [Public Policy Transmission Need] determination – but this is far from the end of the story.”
The transmission planning effort, known as the PPTN process, began in 2023 and aimed to connect up to 8 gigawatts of offshore wind to New York City by 2033. The PSC had tasked the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) with evaluating proposals for that new grid infrastructure. NYISO launched its solicitation in April 2024 and had been reviewing bids – but those plans are now officially shelved.
The state says it’s pausing the process, not ending it, and will move ahead once the federal government restarts leasing and permitting for offshore wind.
Crucially, this decision doesn’t affect offshore wind projects with permits already in place. New York is still home to the country’s largest offshore wind pipeline.
The 132-megawatt South Fork Wind (pictured) is already online. Empire Wind, an 816 MW project led by Equinor, is back under construction after Governor Kathy Hochul announced in May that it would move forward, bringing power to half a million homes. And Ørsted’s 924 MW Sunrise Wind project, which will serve Long Island, is also underway and expected to power around 600,000 homes.
So while federal headwinds have forced New York to slow down on transmission, the state’s offshore wind push is still alive — but on a longer timeline.
Read more: Trump reversal revives Empire Wind, NY’s offshore energy giant
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