New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 20 announced the completed installation of the first offshore wind turbine for South Fork Wind, a historic milestone for New York’s offshore wind development and what will be the first completed utility-scale wind farm in the United States in federal waters.
South Fork Wind is a joint venture project between Ørsted and Eversource. The offshore wind farm will be located 35 miles east of Montauk Point.
The 130-MW South Fork Wind project, New York's first offshore wind farm, was selected under a 2015 Long Island Power Authority request for proposals to address growing power needs on the east end of Long Island.
The wind farm reached its “steel in the water” milestone in June 2023 with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation.
The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators was hoisted into place by the offshore construction team at the project site 35 miles off Montauk, N.Y. All 12 turbines are expected to be installed by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
“Today marks a significant step in New York’s clean energy journey and implementing Governor Hochul's vision of a sustainable and resilient future for New Yorkers,” said Long Island Power Authority Chief Executive Officer Thomas Falcone. “The installation of New York's first offshore wind turbine represents concrete action transforming the Climate Act's target of 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035 into reality, and LIPA is proud to be supporting this project on behalf of our 1.2 million customers on Long Island and in the Rockaways."
Once in operation, South Fork Wind will be supported by U.S.-built crew transfer vessels and eventually by America’s first offshore wind Service Operations Vessel.
