TL/DR –
The South Fork Wind farm is serving up power like it’s Sunday brunch, with all twelve turbines live and kicking and enough renewable energy on the menu for 70,000 homes. Over the next 20 years, the clean energy generated will slash carbon emissions by the same amount as removing 60,000 cars from the roads. Carbon emissions? Who is she? Plus, in a plot twist straight outta ‘The Young and the Restless’, the ownership of this eco-friendly titan is about to change hands – with Eversource Energy handing over its 50% stake to Global Infrastructure Partners.
US’ First Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind Farm Up and Running
The 132 MW South Fork Wind – the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the US – is up and running. All twelve wind turbines are operational, and the project is now providing power to Long Island and the Rockaways, offshore New York.
“South Fork Wind is now delivering clean energy to tens of thousands of homes and businesses on Long Island,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
Producing 132 MW at full capacity, the offshore wind farm can power approximately 70,000 homes. Located about 35 miles off the coast of Montauk, it will eliminate up to six million tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifespan – equivalent to removing 60,000 cars from the roads for two decades.
Construction on South Fork Wind started in February 2022, with the “steel in the water” milestone achieved in June 2023. The wind turbine components arrived in New London later that year, and by December, the offshore wind farm delivered its first power to the grid.
“Building South Fork Wind was a true regional effort and couldn’t have been realized without the support and investment in ports at ProvPort in Rhode Island and the New London State Pier in Connecticut,” said Joe Nolan, Eversource Energy CEO.
Currently owned by Ørsted and Eversource, the offshore wind farm is set for a change in ownership as Eversource Energy is selling its 50 per cent stake in South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind projects to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The transaction is set to close in mid-2024.
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz
