South Fork delivers first offshore wind power to Long Island

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul: “ “Offshore wind is foundational to our fight against climate change.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on December 6 the successful delivery of clean power to Long Island from the first operational wind turbine at Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind The news came less than a month after completion of the first operational turbine at the wind farm, which is located approximately 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York.

The project has completed the installation of two turbines, with one operational, approximately 35 miles off Montauk with all 12 turbines expected to be installed by early 2024.

“New York’s nation-leading efforts to generate reliable, renewable clean energy have reached a major milestone,” Gov. Hochul said.

When complete, South Fork Wind will generate approximately 130 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power approximately 70,000 Long Island homes. The renewable energy from South Fork Wind will eliminate up to six million tons of carbon emissions each year, the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road.

Long Island Power Authority CEO, Thomas Falcone, said, “Today marks a significant step towards implementing Gov. Hochul’s vision of a sustainable and resilient energy future for New York. Nearly eight years in the making, this first offshore wind turbine producing energy transforms that vision into a reality. LIPA is proud to support this landmark project on behalf of our 1.2 million customers on Long Island and in the Rockaways.”

Ørsted Group EVP and CEO Americas David Hardy said, “East Hampton has now made history as the first community in New York to receive clean energy from an offshore wind farm. South Fork Wind is not just a trailblazing project for the state, it’s also one of the foundations of America’s offshore wind energy industry and a testament to our team’s commitment, expertise and hard work. Thanks to the leadership of the Biden and Hochul administrations, and our state and local partners and supporters, South Fork Wind is powering up and setting the stage for a growing American industry.”

Eversource Energy chairman, president and CEO Joe Nolan said, “South Fork Wind is a project by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers. Clean, renewable offshore wind energy is now flowing to the local grid in East Hampton thanks especially to the hard work of local union workers and contractors who helped us build South Fork Wind’s transmission system and onshore substation. This has been a year of firsts for New York’s offshore wind industry, and there’s a lot more to come in the weeks ahead for this groundbreaking project and the growth of the U.S. offshore wind sector.”

First approved by the LIPA Board of Trustees in 2017, South Fork Wind began construction in February 2022, beginning with the onshore export cable system that links the project to the LIPA energy grid, which was completed early this year. The wind farm reached its “steel in the water” milestone in June 2023 with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation. Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines.

South Fork Wind includes the first U.S.-built offshore wind substation. More than 350 U.S. workers across three states supported construction of this offshore substation, a topside structure that collects the power produced by wind turbines and connects it to the grid. New York union workers supported its installation offshore.

Long Island-based contractor Haugland Energy Group LLC (an affiliate of Haugland Group LLC), installed the underground duct bank system for South Fork Wind’s onshore transmission line and led the construction of the project’s onshore interconnection facility. LS Cable installed and jointed the onshore cables with support from Long Island’s Elecnor Hawkeye. Roman Stone, also on Long Island, manufactured concrete mattresses to protect the undersea cables, and Ljungstrom, located in western New York, in partnership with Riggs Distler & Company, Inc., provided specialized structural steelwork.

“Offshore wind electricity is flowing through New York power lines as a result of more than a decade of work to bring offshore wind online in the U.S,” said Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of Oceantic Network. “The industry as a whole should be proud of the work done by many to get us where we are today – providing clean, renewable offshore wind energy at scale to communities and homes. The Network applauds Eversource and Ørsted’s efforts to develop this project, which now serves as a proof point for offshore wind’s viability and benefits. We also congratulate the Long Island Power Authority, New York State Energy Research & Development Agency, and the countless community members, advocates, labor unions, and government officials, who have worked tirelessly to make this project a reality.”