The Long Island Power Authority got a surprise Monday it was told that the cost of wind turbines it hoped to build off the South Shore has doubled.

LIPA received a statement from FPL Energy, the firm that won a bid to build 40 wind turbines off the South Shore for $356 million, which said that the cost of materials, labor and demand for wind turbine parts had rose to $697 million.

Newsday [1] reported that LIPA has yet to make a final decision about building the 40 turbines, especially since it would have to cover the cost of laying cables to connect the wind turbines to the power grid -- an estimated cost of $100 million.

LIPA Executive Richard Kessel remains positive, and hopes to bring clean and renewable energy sources online for Long Islanders as soon as possible.