Graceful wind turbines turning in the plentiful breezes off the Upstate New York shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario might soon become a reality.

This story from RenewableEnergyWorld.com says the New York Power Authority (NYPA) has announced a major public-private initiative to develop wind energy in that area:

To carry out the initiative known as the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project, NYPA, with the support of wind power proponents including National Grid, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, state and local environmental organizations, wind power developers and the University of Buffalo, is gathering a wide range of environmental, economic development, technical, financial and other information to serve as the foundation for the possible installation of wind power projects by one or more private wind power developers, sized to a minimum of 120 megawatts.

The first step in the initiative was taken when NYPA issued the [Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI)] for environmental, economic development, technical, operational, socio-economic, financial and other information from the wind power industry. This information will assist NYPA in determining the feasibility of taking the next step of preparing a wind power development [Request for Proposals (RFP)] which, if issued, would be expected to result in high-quality proposals for the construction of wind generating projects.

No big surprise, the announcement was welcomed by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):

“This is a great sign for offshore wind energy in the U.S.,” said Denise Bode, CEO of AWEA. “As we seek to dramatically expand wind energy, both on- and offshore, it is vital that we commit to long-term stable policies such as the Renewable Electricity Standard to allow the market to reach its full potential and enable businesses to build new factories and create new jobs.”