New York Private Developers Threaten to Cancel 3 Gigawatts of Projects, Public Renewables is the Solution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 13, 2026

New York Private Developers Threaten to Cancel 3 Gigawatts of Projects, Public Renewables is the Solution

As Hochul fights to repeal climate law and double down on gas, Public Renewables remain only climate and cost solution for New Yorkers

Albany, New York – For-profit renewable energy developers are threatening to cancel nearly 3 gigawatts of projects after the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) refused to renegotiate state contracts.

The developers claim these projects will no longer generate enough profit due to tariffs and other rising costs, and are demanding more money from NYSERDA, which has so far said it expects developers to “honor their commitments”. Investors in renewable energy projects typically expect at least an 8% profit, and prefer to abandon projects rather than accept a lower profit margin. As a result, the majority of projects planned by private developers over recent years in New York have been canceled.

By contrast, public renewables developed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) do not need to make a large profit, and are more affordable to build due to access to cheaper financing.

Alex Patterson, Campaign Coordinator for Public Power NY, said: “New York passed the Build Public Renewables Act in 2023 because for-profit developers were failing to deliver the clean energy we need. When corporate profits shrink, developers abandon their promises to New Yorkers and open the way for even more expensive natural gas infrastructure. Thankfully NYPA can step in and rescue the projects that developers are threatening to cancel. Public renewables can solve both the energy affordability crisis and the climate crisis, but Kathy Hochul would rather build fossil fuel power plants for AI data centers than provide bill relief for working class New Yorkers. Either public power will deliver an affordable and sustainable future for New York, or we won’t have one at all. We call on Hochul to include $200 million in the state budget for public renewables and build the 15GW necessary to meet the legal mandates of our state’s climate law.”

The potential cancellation of projects comes as New York is perilously behind on meeting its legally mandated climate targets. Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York must reach 70% renewable energy by 2030, and thousands of New Yorkers and elected officials, like Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have called on Governor Kathy Hochul to build the 15GW of public renewables necessary to get back on track.

Instead of leading the nation and building enough renewables to meet the goals, Hochul is proposing to rollback the climate law.

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Note to the editor:

About Public Power NY

As chronicled in the new book “Organize or Burn.” Public Power NY is a movement fighting to ensure New York effectively carries out the Build Public Renewables Act by building 15 Gigawatts of public renewables by 2030. Hailed as the first statewide Green New Deal law, BPRA was written by PPNY and passed in 2023 thanks to four years of organizing by a multiracial, multi-generational movement of climate and advocacy organizations, labor unions representing millions of New Yorkers and tens of thousands of New Yorkers who have taken action from upstate, downstate, and everywhere in between. With federal climate action off the table, BPRA has enabled NY to not just play defense against Trump, but lead the way the way FDR created NYPA to do.