South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, has received approval of the project’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which is the final decision needed from the agency to move the project toward the start of construction.
South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, has received approval of the project’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which is the final decision needed from the agency to move the project toward the start of construction. The COP approval outlines the project’s one nautical mile turbine spacing, the requirements on the construction methodology for all work occurring in federal ocean waters, and mitigation measures to protect marine habitats and species.
Ørsted and Eversource are now entering the construction phase for South Fork Wind. Site preparation and onshore activities for the project’s underground duct bank system and interconnection facility will be the first to begin. Fabrication of the project’s offshore substation is already in process. Ørsted and Eversource recently announced the selection of Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. (Kiewit) to design and build the substation for the project. Long Island-based contractor Haugland Energy Group was recently selected to install the duct bank system for the project’s underground onshore transmission line and lead the construction of the onshore interconnection facility located in East Hampton, New York. Offshore installation of the project’s monopile foundations and 11MW Siemens-Gamesa wind turbines is expected to begin in summer 2023.
South Fork Wind will be located about 35 miles east of Montauk Point. Its transmission system will deliver clean energy directly to the electric grid in the Town of East Hampton. The 132MW offshore wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.