South Fork Wind
South Fork Wind Farm is the United States' first utility-scale offshore wind farm. It is located on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Rhode Island and providing power to New York state.
The 132 MW, 12-turbine wind farm is located southeast of Rhode Island's Block Island and east of Montauk Point on the South Fork of New York's Long Island. The wind farm is expected to generate electricity equivalent to that consumed by 70,000 Long Island homes use in a year and offset 300,000 tons of carbon emissions each year. The turbines are Siemens Gamesa 11.0-200 DD machines, meaning each turbine will have a capacity of 11.0 MW and a diameter of 200 meters. The substation is the first of its kind built in the United States, by Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. The wind farm was built by Ørsted US Offshore Wind in conjunction with Eversource and approved by the Long Island Power Authority, a not-for-profit public utility company serving Long Island and Rockaway, Queens. The project is a section of Wind Energy Area OCS-A 0486. The wind farm connects to the power grid through an underwater export cable to East Hampton, New York.
Though the lease was approved by Long Island Power Authority in 2017, construction of South Fork Wind did not began until February 2022. Power from the first turbine began being delivered to the grid on December 6, 2023. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the completion of the project on March 14, 2024, at an event with international renewable energy leaders.
Development timeline
On September 12, 2013, BOEM awarded two commercial offshore wind energy leases, OCS-A-0486 and OCS-A-0487, to Deepwater Wind New England LLC for development of a regional offshore wind energy project.Deepwater Wind, the predecessor to Ørsted US Offshore Wind, originally proposed a 90-megawatt, 15-turbine wind farm in a 256 square miles area in 2013. Long Island Power Authority recommended the project for approval in July 2016, which was delayed at the request of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Regulatory approval for a 90 MW wind farm was granted in January 2017. The project was expanded to 132 megawatt capacity in 2018. Thomas Falcone, CEO of Long Island Power Authority, initially hoped to complete the contract in first quarter 2017 with construction beginning in 2019 and power generation starting in 2022. Energy generated at South Fork will power the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on the South Fork of Long Island, the latter of which has vowed to have 100 percent of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2030.
Ørsted US Offshore Wind acquired Deepwater Wind in 2019, and partnered with Eversource Energy to construct South Fork Wind. The project uses twelve Siemens Gamesa 11 MW turbines. Long Island Power Authority will purchase the electricity generated. NYSERDA has approved the project.
| Early Development & Planning |
|
| Environmental Review & Permitting | |
| Record of Decision & Approvals | |
| Construction & Installation |
Lease Area
Location
The South Fork project BOEM Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0517 is located within federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf, approximately 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York. South Fork Wind's lease area is adjacent to Revolution Wind and nearby the proposed Vineyard Wind lease area.History of the Lease Area
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act mandates that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management must award leases for renewable energy projects through competitive bidding, unless BOEM determines there is no competitive interest.In July 2010, the Governors of Rhode Island and Massachusetts identified an Area of Mutual Interest for BOEM to consider for leasing. In August 2011, BOEM published a Call for information and nominations to assess industry interest in wind energy leasing and seek public input. They also published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment for offshore wind leasing activities. In February 2012, BOEM identified a Wind Energy Area offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts, excluding certain areas based on public comments. In July 2012, BOEM issued a Notice of Availability for the EA. In December 2012, they proposed 164,750 acres for wind energy leasing and sought public comment.
After reviewing comments, BOEM published a revised EA in June 2013 and concluded there would be no significant environmental impact from the leasing activities. The final sale notice was also published in June 2013.
On July 31, 2013, BOEM held the first-ever competitive lease sale for the Rhode Island/Massachusetts Wind Energy Area. The auction was conducted for two lease areas: the North Lease Area, covering approximately 97,500 acres, and the South Lease Area, covering about 67,250 acres. BOEM announced that Deepwater Wind New England LLC was awarded both lease areas. The auction raised a total of $3,838,288 in high bids and took place over the course of one day, spanning 11 rounds.
Auction Process
On January 16, 2020, Deepwater Wind New England, LLC bid for the 13,700 acre lease OCS-A 0486 which BOEM approved on March 23, 2020. The lease area assigned to Deepwater Wind South Fork, LLC now carries lease number OCS-A 0517.Regulatory and permitting process
Site Assessment Plan
On October 12, 2017, BOEM approved the Site Assessment Plan for Lease OCS-A 0486, which authorized the installation of an AXYS FLiDAR 6M™ meteorological buoy within the lease area. The Met Buoy will gather data about energy production estimates and design inputs within the North Lease Area for a wind energy project. Deepwater Wind will contract a vendor to install, operate, and decommission the Met Buoy. The SAP determined that the buoy will not cause damage or harm to the surrounding environment or natural resources.Environmental Impact Statement
On October 19, 2018, BOEM issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Construction and Operations Plan submitted by Deepwater Wind South Fork LLC. The NOI publication marked the start of the public scoping process and opened a 30-day comment period during which BOEM hosted public scoping meetings and accepted public comments.On January 4, 2021, BOEM released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project. During the comment period, BOEM organized three virtual meetings, giving stakeholders the opportunity to learn more about the DEIS, ask questions, and provide oral testimony. On August 16, 2021, BOEM published the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project.
Four alternatives were considered in the Final Environmental Impact Statement:
- No Action Alternative: Passage of this Alternative would result in BOEM not approving the Construction and Operations Plan, and the project would not move forward with construction. The No Action Alternative is the baseline Alternative that all actions are weighed against.
- Proposed Action: Passage of this Alternative would result in the construction and operation of 15 WTGs each with a 6-12 MW capacity. This proposed alternative included micrositing of WTGs to avoid sensitive cultural resources and marine habitats.
- Vessel Transit Lane alternative : Passage of this Alternative would result in the construction and operation of 15 WTGs each with a 6-12 MW capacity and the construction of a 4 nautical-mile transit lane bisecting areas of WTGs. This transit lane would allow for increased vessel traffic for commercial fisherman.
- Fisheries Habitat Impact Minimization alternative : Passage of this Alternative would result in the construction and operation of 12 WTGs each with a 6-12 MW capacity. The FEIS found that this Alternative would result in fewer adverse environmental impacts than the other action alternatives considered. Within the Habitat Alternative, two WTG layout plans were considered.