New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 6 announced the successful delivery of power to Long Island from the first operational wind turbine at South Fork Wind, “marking a historic milestone of the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in federal waters to begin ‘powering up’ in the United States,” Hochul’s office said.
The project has completed the installation of two turbines, with one operational, approximately 35 miles off Montauk with all 12 turbines expected to be installed by early 2024.
The development “marks a significant step towards implementing Governor Hochul’s vision of a sustainable and resilient energy future for New York,” said Long Island Power Authority CEO Thomas Falcone.
“Nearly eight years in the making, this first offshore wind turbine producing energy transforms that vision into a reality. LIPA is proud to support this landmark project on behalf of our 1.2 million customers on Long Island and in the Rockaways,” he said.
The milestone, which comes just two weeks after the installation of New York’s first offshore wind turbine, was celebrated in East Hampton alongside joint-venture partners Ørsted and Eversource, state, county and local officials, advocates and community members.
When complete, South Fork Wind will generate approximately 130 megawatts of renewable energy.
First approved by the LIPA Board of Trustees in 2017, South Fork Wind began construction in February 2022, beginning with the onshore export cable system that links the project to the LIPA energy grid, which was completed early this year.
The wind farm reached its “steel in the water” milestone in June 2023 with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation.
South Fork Wind includes the first U.S.-built offshore wind substation. More than 350 U.S. workers across three states supported construction of this offshore substation, a topside structure that collects the power produced by wind turbines and connects it to the grid.
The Dec. 6 announcement builds on the momentum established by Hochul’s announcement earlier this month, which publicized the largest state investment in renewable energy in United States history.
The conditional awards included three offshore wind and 22 land-based renewable energy projects totaling 6.4 gigawatts of clean energy.
