Wind Energy – U.S.A.
A ceremony on Long Island last Friday marked the start of construction on South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind project.
The event attended by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and other officials, came as jointly developers Ørsted and Eversource Energy confirmed that they have taken final investment decision on the project which is due for completion at the end of 2023 and will have a capacity of 130 MW offshore wind power generation.
Located 35 miles east of Montauk Point, off Long Island, New York, South Fork Wind will be one of the first commercial-scale offshore wind projects to commence operation in North America.
Selected under a 2015 Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) request for proposals the project received its final approvals in November 2021 and January 2022. It will consist of 12 Siemens-Gamesa 11 MW turbines and its transmission system will deliver energy to the electric grid in the Town of East Hampton, New York.
Over a 25-year period, South Fork Wind is expected to eliminate up to six million tons of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road annually.
“With the joint final investment decision now in place, we have formally codified our commitment to New York’s first-ever offshore wind farm,” said Joe Nolan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eversource Energy. “In less than two years, South Fork Wind will provide enough clean energy to power more than 70,000 homes – helping New York reach its nation-leading clean energy goals.”