South Fork Wind Farm is a utility-scale offshore wind farm on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island, providing energy to New York state.[5]
| South Fork Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | WEA OCS-A 0517 Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island [2][3] |
| Coordinates | 41°05′31″N 71°18′40″W / 41.092°N 71.311161°W[1] |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2022 |
| Commission date |
|
| Owner | Ørsted US Offshore Wind |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Offshore |
| Distance from shore | 16 miles (26 km) |
| Rotor diameter | 660 feet (200 m) |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 12 × 11 MW |
| Make and model | SG 11-MW[4] |
| Nameplate capacity | 130 MW |
| External links | |
| Website | Ørsted US Offshore Wind |
The 130 MW, 12-turbine wind is 16.6 nautical miles (30.7 km; 19.1 mi) southeast of Rhode Island's Block Island and 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi) east of Montauk Point on the South Fork of New York's Long Island. The wind farm is projected to provide electricity to 70,000 Long Island homes.[6][7] The turbines are Siemens Gamesa 11.0-200 DD machines. The substation is the first of its kind built in the United States, by Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. The project is a 97,498 acres (39,456 ha) section of Wind Energy Area (WEA) OCS-A 0486 (North Lease).[8] The wind farm connects to the power grid through an underwater cable to East Hampton, New York.[9]
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland held a groundbreaking ceremony in February 2022 for the project,[10] being built by Ørsted US Offshore Wind in conjunction with Eversource and the Long Island Power Authority. Power from the first turbine began being delivered to the grid on December 6, 2023.[11] Governor Hochul announced the completion of the project on March 14, 2024, at an event with Secretary Haaland and other elected officials.[12]
History
editDeepwater Wind
editOn September 12, 2013, BOEM awarded two commercial offshore wind energy leases, OCS-A-0486 and OCS-A-0487, to Deepwater Wind New England LLC for development of a regional offshore wind energy project.[13] Deepwater ONE (formerly Deepwater Wind Energy Center) would be located in the Atlantic Ocean on 256 square miles on the outer continental shelf, approximately 30 miles east of Montauk, New York, and 15 miles east of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The project would consist of 150 to 200 turbines with a total nameplate generating capacity of 900 to 1,200 MW. It includes a 98-mile, 600 MW submarine transmission line, a new regional HVDC transmission system, and a New York-Long Island interconnector to link the electrical supply system in New England and Long Island.[14]
Deepwater Wind, the predecessor to Orsted, originally proposed a 90-megawatt, 15-turbine wind farm in area where it had leased 256 square miles the area in 2013.[15][16] (The leased area has a potential of supporting 200 turbines.[17]) Long Island Power Authority recommended the project for approval in July 2016,[18] which was delayed in July 2016 at the request of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Regulatory approval for a 90 MW wind farm was granted in January 2017.[19][20] Thomas Falcone, CEO of LIPA, said they hope to complete the contract in first quarter 2017 with construction beginning in 2019 and that it would be online in 2022. The target of the power to be generated is to power structures in Southampton and East Hampton on the South Fork of Long Island, the latter of which has vowed to have 100 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources.[21][22][23] The project was later expanded to 132 megawatt capacity in 2018.[24]
Ørsted
editØrsted US Offshore Wind acquired Deepwater Wind in 2019.[25][26][27] It partnered with Eversource Energy to construct the wind farm. The project uses twelve Siemens Gamesa 11 megawatt turbines.[4] Long Island Power Authority will purchase the electricity generated. NYSERDA has approved the project.
In 2020, the Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, a group of property owners in the hamlet of Wainscott started a petition to incorporate 4.4 square miles (11 km2) of the community as a village. A driving force of the petition was to fight a proposal for the preferred location for the 138-kilovolt electricity transmission line (export cable) to come ashore in the community at Beach Lane en route to an electrical substation in East Hampton.[28][29][30] The effort divided members of the community, with other residents organizing in support of the project.[30] The town board and town trustees have approved the project, granting an easement allowing for the export cable in Wainscott.[4] The petition to separately incorporate was rejected as "legally insufficient" in March 2021.[30]
In January 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal would be developed to include a wind turbine assembly plant to be partially funded by New York State.[31] Turbines assembled there will be used in three offshore wind farms off the east end of Long Island. South Fork Wind Farm, Beacon Wind[32] and Sunrise Wind[33] are projected to be supplied by 2025 from the new plant, built with $200 million in state funding and $200 million in matching grants. The project is part of a $29 billion 'Green Initiative' plan for New York.[34]
During the construction of South Fork Wind, hundreds of U.S. workers and three Northeast ports were engaged, laying the foundations of a new domestic supply chain and creating local union jobs.[12] Under operation, South Fork Wind will be supported by U.S.-built, -crewed and owned crew transfer vessels and offshore wind service operations vessels.[35]
Regulatory approvals
editIn November 2021, the Interior Department approved the project.[7][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "South Fork - Offshore Wind Farm Project". 4C Offshore.
- ^ "Commercial Wind Leasing Offshore Rhode Island And Massachusetts". www.boem.gov BOEM: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR). Office of Public Affairs 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/revolution-wind#:~:text=Revolution Wind may build and,704 megawatts of clean energy.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Christopher (May 27, 2021). "Rhode Island Fishermen Also Peeved With South Fork Wind". The East Hampton Star. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021.
- ^ French, Marie (March 14, 2024). "America's first large-scale offshore wind project completed off Long Island". Politico. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Clark, Dartunorro (November 24, 2021). "Biden administration approves second major offshore wind project, to provide power to N.Y." NBC News.
- ^ a b Grandoni, Dino (November 24, 2021). "Biden administration approves first offshore wind farm to supply power to New York". The Washington Post.
- ^ South Fork Area Map, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
- ^ "New York Bight Task Force Wind Developer Project Summaries" (PDF). U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Wright, Michael (February 11, 2022). "Governor And U.S. Secretary of Interior Extol Virtues Of Offshore Wind, Environmental and Economic, At Wainscott Ceremony On Friday". 27 East. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ "Decades after Europe, turning blades send first commercial offshore wind power onto US grid". AP News. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Governor Hochul Announces Completion of South Fork Wind, First Utility-Scale Offshore Wind Farm in the United States | Governor Kathy Hochul". www.governor.ny.gov. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Commercial Wind Leases for the Wind Energy Area Offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts
- ^ "Deepwater ONE". Deepwater Wind.
- ^ "Commercial Lease Of Submerged Lands For Renewable Energy Development On The Continental Shelf" (PDF). Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
- ^ Maloney, Peter (July 18, 2016). "Deepwater Wind proposes largest offshore wind farm in US". Utility Dive.
- ^ O'Reilly, Brendan J. (December 15, 2015). "90-Megawatt Wind Power Project Proposed off Montauk". Dan's Papers.
- ^ Walsh, Christopher (July 15, 2016). "LIPA to Approve Wind Farm 30 Miles Off Montauk". The East Hampton Star. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016.
- ^ Geuss, Megan (January 25, 2017). "New York approves a 90 MW wind farm off the coast of Long Island". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ^ Cardwell, Diane (January 25, 2017). "Nation's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Will Be Built Off Long Island". The New York Times.
- ^ Walsh, Christopher (July 21, 2016). "Wind Farm Delayed". The East Hampton Star. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016.
- ^ "Deepwater ONE". Deepwater Wind.
- ^ "Deepwater ONE South Fork". Deepwater Wind.
- ^ "Our offshore wind farms - U.S. wind farms". orsted.com.
- ^ "Ørsted acquires Deepwater Wind and creates leading US offshore wind platform". orsted.com. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Russell, Tom (August 11, 2018). "Ørsted finalises Deepwater Wind buy". 4C Offshore News.
- ^ Reed, Stanley (October 8, 2018). "Orsted, a Giant in Offshore Wind Farms, Makes a Move in the U.S." The New York Times.
- ^ Harrington, Mark (May 20, 2020). "Wainscott resident group explores incorporating as a village". Newsday.
- ^ Vecsey, Taylor K. (September 10, 2020). "East Hampton Town reaches payment agreement with South Fork Wind Farm developers". The Independent.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Christopher (March 6, 2021). "Supervisor Deals Blow to Wainscott Incorporation Efforts". The East Hampton Star.
- ^ Adams, Rose (January 14, 2021). "Cuomo Announces Wind Turbine Assembly Plant Headed to South Brooklyn Marine Terminal". Brownstoner.
- ^ "Home". January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Sunrise Wind Wins Bid for Large-Scale New York Offshore Wind Farm". Business Wire. July 18, 2019.
- ^ Blau, Reuven (January 12, 2015). "New York City's largest windmill will help power Brooklyn recycling plant". New York Daily News.
- ^ Staff, Marine Log (November 21, 2023). "First turbine installed at South Fork Wind". Marine Log. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
