South Fork

South Fork Wind Farm Profile

Overview

The South Fork Wind Farm is New York's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, marking a significant milestone in the transition to renewable energy in the United States. The project is a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted, a global clean energy leader, and initially Eversource, though Eversource's 50% stake was sold to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in February 2024.

Location

The wind farm is located in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in BOEM Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0517. It is approximately 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York, and about 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island.

Capacity and Impact

The South Fork Wind Farm has a total capacity of 130-132 megawatts (MW), generated by 12 SG 11.0-200 DD wind turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa. Each turbine has a rated power output of 11 MW, featuring a 200-meter diameter rotor and 97-meter long blades. This capacity is sufficient to power more than 70,000 average U.S. homes.

Environmental Benefits

The project is expected to eliminate up to six million tons of carbon emissions over its lifespan, equivalent to taking 60,000 cars off the road for 20 years. This aligns with New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals to achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030 and install nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

Construction and Timeline

• Construction began in February 2022 with the onshore export cable system.
• The first monopile foundation was installed in June 2023, marking the "steel in the water" milestone.
• The final turbine was installed in February 2024.
• The project was fully completed and began delivering power to the grid in mid-March 2024.

Infrastructure

• The wind turbines are supported by steel monopile foundations and are arranged in a grid with an approximate spacing of 1.9 kilometers.
• An offshore substation collects the power generated by the turbines via an inter-array cable system. The substation uses a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to monitor and control operations.
• The power is transmitted to the East Hampton substation via a single 138kV alternating current (AC) transmission line. The cable landing point is at Beach Lane in Wainscott, New York.

Environmental Mitigation

The project includes several environmental mitigation measures:

• An agreement with leading environmental organizations to protect the North Atlantic right whale, including monitoring measures, noise reduction during piling, and the use of advanced technologies like thermal cameras and acoustic sensors.
• A 10-knot speed limit for project-related vessels to prevent vessel strikes, unless an adaptive speed management plan is in place.

Workforce and Economic Impact

The construction of the South Fork Wind Farm involved hundreds of U.S. workers and supported local union jobs across the Northeast. The project was staged and assembled by local union workers at State Pier in New London, Connecticut, and ProvPort in Rhode Island. The offshore substation was built by over 350 U.S. workers across three states.

Service Operations

A service operations vessel named Eco Edison, built by Edison Chouest Offshore, supports the operations and maintenance of the South Fork Wind Farm, as well as other nearby wind farms. The vessel is equipped with advanced technology and is used to transfer technicians, tools, and parts to and from the wind farms.

Regulatory Approvals

The project received various regulatory approvals, including:

• Approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in January 2022.
• Issuance of an Individual Permit under the Rivers and Harbors Act in 2022.
• Issuance of an OCS Air Permit under the Clean Air Act in 2022.
• Approval of the Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) under the Marine Mammals Protection Act in 2021.
• Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need issued in 2021.

The South Fork Wind Farm represents a significant step forward in the development of offshore wind energy in the United States, setting a precedent for future projects and contributing to the country's transition to cleaner energy sources.