The South Fork Wind Farm has started to deliver power to Long Island, marking the first large-scale offshore wind project to go online in the country, and an important step toward New York’s goal of installing 9-gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035.
The first turbine of 12 came online last week. The farm generates wind power about 35 miles east of Montauk Point, then travels 78 miles through an underground cable to a substation in East Hampton. From there, the Long Island Power Authority distributes the electricity to customers.
“I'm grateful and excited to be a part of building New York’s first offshore wind farm, which is also the nation's first commercial offshore wind farm being built in federal waters," said David Hardy of offshore wind company Orsted at a gathering of community leaders on Thursday. "It's a huge accomplishment, not just for East Hampton or for New York, but for this country.”
East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said Hamptonites understand how important wind power is as the coastal community battles sea level rise and other impacts from climate change.
“This requires sources of clean renewable energy of which South Fork Wind will be the first and will help us reach our goal, with over 70,000 homes being powered by this clean, renewable energy,” Van Scoyoc said.
Orsted is also working to complete Revolution Wind which will generate power for customers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Turbine construction is underway in New London, Connecticut, a regional hub for the offshore wind industry.
The announcement comes as two Rhode Island heritage organizations filed lawsuits to halt completion of South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind, citing concerns that the projects will spoil their ocean views.
