The United States has just seen the completion of its first-ever utility-scale offshore wind farm, the South Fork Wind, in New York on Thursday.
South Fork Wind completes the final turbine installation
According to the city government’s press release, the South Fork Wind has officially started providing power to Long Island and the Rockaways.
Governor Kathy Hochul, US Interior Interior Deb Haaland, and other government officials formally announced last week that the project has already installed all 12 offshore wind turbines. It marks a major milestone for the nation, with the city of New York becoming home to the inaugural domestic utility-scale offshore wind farm.
“When I broke ground on the South Fork project, I made a promise to build a cleaner, greener future for all New Yorkers. I’m keeping to that promise and South Fork Wind is now delivering clean energy to tens of thousands of homes and businesses on Long Island. With more projects in the pipeline, this is just the beginning of New York’s offshore wind future and I look forward to continued partnership with the Biden Administration and local leaders to build a clean and resilient energy grid.”
New York City Governor Kathy Hochul
A South Fork Wind spokesperson reportedly noted that the installation of the final turbine enables the new wind farm to start commissioning work to reach “full power,” according to news outlet Renews.
Project development
Danish multinational energy firm Ørsted and American energy provider Eversource teamed up to construct the 132-megawatt (MW) South Fork Wind.
On January 18, they completed 50% of the project development by installing the first six out of twelve SG 11-200 DD Siemens Gamesa turbines. South Fork Wind’s official X account then announced the imminent arrival of the 12th wind turbine from State Pier in New London, CT.
In hindsight, Ørsted and Eversource installed the project’s first offshore wind turbine foundation in late June 2023. They finished the US’ first-ever offshore substation at the end of the following month, supplying power to the grid for the first time on December 6.
“We’re incredibly proud of our dedicated project, permit, and construction teams, and all those who have made this milestone possible. We’re thankful, too, for the tremendous leadership of the Biden and Hochul administrations, and for the steadfast support of the East Hampton community and beyond.”
Ørsted Group EVP and CEO Americas David Hardy
South Fork Wind’s capacity
The South Fork Wind is expected to generate sufficient clean energy to supply power to 70,000 households on Long Island, New York. Using a single transmission line, the 130-megawatt wind farm will directly transmit renewable energy to the electrical grid in East Hampton.
South Fork Wind sells the generated energy to the Long Island Power Authority under a 20-year agreement. According to the report, the project will aid in cutting up to 6 million tons of carbon emissions over its lifespan. Impressively, this figure is equivalent to eliminating 60,000 cars off the US roads over the next 20 years.
All that said, it will significantly aid the city government in achieving its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s target of 70% renewable energy by 2030 and developing nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035.
