The developers of South Fork Wind offshore wind farm, off the coast of New York state, have installed the project’s first monopile foundation.
In the coming days, South Fork Wind, being developed by Orsted and Eversource, will install the project’s US-built offshore substation.
With the first monopile’s installation South Fork Wind enters its wind turbine installation phase, the final construction period on the 12-turbine, 130MW project.
South Fork Wind launched in February 2022, beginning with the onshore export cable system.
The project will become one of America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm to be completed in federal waters when it begins operations by the end of this year and supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to develop 9GW of offshore wind by 2035.
“New York is leading offshore wind development and building a green economy that will support hundreds of good-paying jobs and benefit generations to come,” Governor Kathy Hochul said.
“This progress on building the first utility-scale offshore wind project in the country cements New York as a national hub for the offshore wind industry.”
Orsted group executive vice president and chief executive Americas David Hardy said: “South Fork Wind is now one giant step closer to meeting our mission to deliver renewable offshore wind energy to Long Island’s East End.
“As we reach a milestone nearly a decade in the making, we’re reflective of all those who have long championed this project in the East Hampton community, and beyond.
“The bold leadership of the Biden-Harris and Hochul administrations is putting New York and the nation on a path to a cleaner future.
“Thanks to American ingenuity, South Fork Wind is jumpstarting a new US jobs engine and tackling climate change head-on.”
Eversource Energy’s president, chief executive officer and chairman Joe Nolan said: “We are thankful to the Biden-Harris and Hochul administrations as well as the countless state and local supporters, without whom this critical project would not have been possible.”
During South Fork Wind’s construction period this summer and fall at the project site roughly 35 miles east of Montauk, NY, construction and transport barges, tugboats, crew vessels, and protected special observer monitoring vessels will be active at the offshore construction site.
An offshore installation vessel, Boskalis’s Bokalift 2, is transporting and installing the foundations.
Advanced foundation components, built by union workers, will be transported to the site for installation.
Finally, the wind farm’s Siemens Gamesa 11MW wind turbines will be installed.