FAQs for Queensboro Renewable Express Project

Queensboro Renewable Express is a proposed project to construct and operate an electric transmission line to bring offshore wind energy to New York City consumers. The project includes two separate underwater transmission circuits and related onshore facilities to transfer energy from offshore wind farms to the Ravenswood Generating Station site. The New York State Public Service Commission is currently reviewing our Queensboro Renewable Express application as part of a state process called “Article VII”.

Ravenswood Generating Station is NYC’s largest power plant and has been in operation in Long Island City since 1963. On the hottest days of the year, Ravenswood powers one in five homes in NYC.

Rise Light & Power is developing this project via its subsidiary, Queensboro Development, LLC. Rise Light & Power owns and operates the Ravenswood Generating Station, located at 38-54 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens, New York. Since acquiring the station in 2017, Rise Light & Power has been building a strong community presence and has launched a new focus on clean energy development in the area to replace 1960s fossil fuel generators.

Queensboro Renewable Express is part of the Renewable Ravenswood vision, which proposes to transform the Ravenswood Generating Station site – home to New York City’s largest generating facility – into a clean energy hub. Receiving approvals to construct Queensboro Renewable Express is a major step in achieving this overall plan by opening new pathways for the delivery of clean power into New York City.

The Article VII application process includes the review of electric transmission facilities in New York State only and does not include the review of offshore wind generating facilities. Queensboro Renewable Express is the transmission line that will bring offshore wind energy to Ravenswood to fulfill Renewable Ravenswood’s goals.

Queensboro Renewable Express will support New York State’s environment and energy goals. The project delivers renewable offshore wind energy to New York City, and each of the project’s two circuits is designed to replace an existing 1960s-era fossil fuel generator on the Ravenswood site. Investment in clean energy is a priority for Rise, and reflects community priorities we’ve heard throughout engagement with neighborhood residents, like public health, air quality, and environmental justice. Building Queensboro Renewable Express gets New York State closer to its target of 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040 set forth in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (“Climate Act”).

This project is uniquely situated to deliver new renewable offshore wind energy into New York State. It repurposes existing land and electrical infrastructure at Ravenswood. Because Ravenswood is on the waterfront, the cabling route can traverse below the sea floor without a need for construction through residential communities, parks, or public streets. Both project circuits will be installed in a single corridor, minimizing impacts compared to siting circuits in multiple corridors. The project’s design uses the latest High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology that can enhance grid stability and is able to deliver more power across longer distances with smaller and fewer cables. Most importantly, it will reduce emissions from existing electric generating facilities in New York City.

Over the summer and fall of 2023, we engaged with over 600 individuals in interactive forums about the clean energy future to learn what was most important to them. We heard broad support for bringing clean air benefits to Ravenswood and the clean energy job opportunities. The community has expressed a clear desire to stay engaged and informed. Rise Light & Power maintains a commitment to transparent and accessible engagement, and will continue to share project updates and receive feedback.

Article VII is the section of the New York PSL that requires the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) to conduct a full review of the need for and environmental impact of the siting, design, construction, and operation of utility transmission projects like Queensboro Renewable Express. Article VII establishes a forum for public participation in this review process alongside state and local agencies. Article VII provides opportunities for community members to take action to learn more about the project, by attending a public information forum and public hearing, and submitting public comments.

The NYS Article VII process reviews portions of Queensboro Renewable Express located within New York. In addition to Article VII, Queensboro Renewable Express involves other permits, approvals, and consultations. For example, the portions of the project located in New Jersey waters will be subject to a separate review and approval process by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will likely serve as the lead federal agency overseeing the permitting of any offshore wind generating facilities that will use the Queensboro Renewable Express to connect to New York.

After conducting years of studies to determine the best path for underwater cables while minimizing environmental and cultural impacts, the Article VII application for Queensboro Renewable Express was submitted on December 2, 2022. New York State Department of Public Service deemed the application complete in May 2024. On July 23, 2024, the New York State PSC will host information forums and public statement hearings to help inform the public about Queensboro Renewable Express and receive public feedback. Parties to the Article VII proceeding may thereafter engage in settlement discussions to resolve any issues related to the construction and operation of the project. If the Article VII application is approved, the Public Service Commission will issue approval via a “Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need,” and we will develop an Environmental Management & Construction Plan. Construction can start after the Public Service Commission approves the plan and all other permits are secured.

If you or your neighbors want to get involved, visit www.queensbororenewableexpress.com to learn about the New York State Public Service Commission’s upcoming public information forums and public statement hearings on July 23, 2024.

The cables are solid and will contain no fluids.

Organisms that live near the bottom of a body of water like a sea, river, or lake live in what is known as a “benthic zone.” Potential direct impacts to these organisms from installing cables will be localized, temporary, and minor. The trench for each circuit is narrow, between 18-24 inches wide, so the footprint for disturbance is small. Studies following prior transmission projects show that organisms affected by installations quickly recolonized the area within a year.

Queensboro Renewable Express is designed to minimize the cost of delivering offshore wind energy to New York. Offshore wind energy is an affordable source of clean energy that will replace fossil generation and create local jobs. Offshore wind energy has the potential to reduce electricity costs because it is abundant and more closely matches peak demand than any other renewable resource. Rise Light & Power is working with offshore wind developers and suppliers to ensure that the health, environmental, and economic benefits of the project exceed any costs to New York ratepayers.

We have conducted extensive studies to assess potential impacts to wildlife along the cable route. Common marine wildlife passing through the project area include Shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon fish, harbor seals, and occasionally other marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Harbor seals are resilient in busy harbor areas and are known to stay close to the shoreline, and not the areas where we’ll be installing the circuits. Other marine mammals and sturgeon are highly mobile and the project is expected to have little to no impact on their behavior and movement.

Queensboro Renewable Express will need several approvals that are anticipated to be received over the next few years. Each circuit will take approximately 2-3 months to install in NYS waters. Construction of the onshore infrastructure is expected to be completed over a 24-month period.

We are committed to making sure the public has information about Queensboro Renewable Express, and encouraging public participation in the Article VII process. Our application included a Public Involvement Plan (PIP) that we’ve been implementing since 2022. Instead of a “one-size-fits-all” approach, we are tailoring outreach to community groups, elected officials, federal, state, and local authorities, fisheries, media, Tribes, property owners, political organizations, and other stakeholders. Our outreach plan has prioritized Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) in the vicinity of the project, and consultation with residents of the four New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes within two miles of the site: Queensbridge Houses, Ravenswood Houses, Astoria Houses, and Woodside Houses. We will continue sharing project updates as part of the Article VII process and other permitting processes. We’re grateful that almost everyone (9 out of 10) surveyed in prior community engagement wants to stay engaged and informed as Renewable Ravenswood develops.