The first operational wind turbine at South Fork Wind successfully delivered clean power to Long Island, New York, making it the first offshore wind farm in federal waters to begin “powering up” in the United States. Two turbines have been installed with one operational sited approximately 35 miles off Montauk with all 12 turbines expected to be installed by early 2024.
Credit: NYSERDA
“New York’s nation-leading efforts to generate reliable, renewable clean energy have reached a major milestone,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “South Fork Wind will power thousands of homes, create good-paying union jobs and demonstrate to all that offshore wind is a viable resource New York can harness for generations to come.”
This milestone came two weeks after the installation of New York’s first offshore wind turbine. When complete, South Fork Wind will generate approximately 130 MW of renewable energy, enough to power approximately 70,000 Long Island homes.
“Today marks a significant step towards implementing Gov. Hochul’s vision of a sustainable and resilient energy future for New York,” said Thomas Falcone, Long Island Power Authority CEO. “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.”
First approved by the LIPA Board of Trustees in 2017, South Fork Wind began construction in February 2022, starting with the onshore export cable system that links the project to the LIPA energy grid, which was completed earlier 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 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.
The onshore cable scope of work alone created more than 100 union jobs for Long Island skilled trades workers. 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, provided specialized structural steelwork.
Today’s announcement builds on the governor’s announcement earlier this month, in which New York plans to make the largest state investment in renewable energy in U.S. history. The conditional awards included three offshore wind and 22 land-based renewable energy projects totaling 6.4 GW of clean energy, enough to power 2.6 million New York homes and deliver approximately 12% of New York’s electricity needs once completed.
When coupled with two marquee offshore wind blade and nacelle manufacturing facilities, this portfolio of newly announced projects is expected to create approximately 8,300 family-sustaining jobs and spur $20 billion in economic development investments statewide, including developer-committed investments to support disadvantaged communities.
News item from NYSERDA
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