The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators has been hoisted into place at the offshore project site 35 miles off Montauk, New York. All 12 turbines are expected to be installed by the end of the year, or in early 2024.

In what will be the first completed utility-scale wind farm in the US in federal waters, the 130 MW offshore wind farm, a joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource Energy, will aim to address a growing reliability challenge for Long Island’s electrical grid, while also generating enough renewable energy to power about 70,000 homes.

The announcement supports progress towards the New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to install 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035.

‘New York is paving the way towards a clean energy future, and the installation of our first offshore wind turbine marks a momentous step forward,’ New York Governor Kathy Hochul says. ‘We are not only generating clean energy, but also pioneering a healthy and safe environment for future generations of New Yorkers.’

Revolution Wind project update

Meanwhile, the 704 MW Revolution Wind project offshore Rhode Island and Connecticut is reported to have been given the go ahead by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The project is another joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource.

To be built about 15 nautical miles south-east of Point Judith, Rhode Island, Revolution Wind will deliver 304 MW to Connecticut and 400 MW to Rhode Island. Its total output is expected to be enough to meet the demand of over 350,000 homes in the two states. The commissioning of the wind farm’s 65 Siemens Gamesa turbines is scheduled for 2025.

Empire project news

In other news, the Empire Wind project, a joint venture between BP and Equinor, has been approved. The project proposes to develop two offshore wind facilities, known as Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2. The lease area is located 12 nautical miles south of Long Island, New York, and 16.9 nautical miles east of Long Branch, New Jersey.  

Together these projects would have up to 147 wind turbines with a total capacity of 2,076 MW, estimated to power more than 700,000 homes each year.  

Vestas secures 270 MW order  

Meanwhile, Vestas has received a 270 MW order to power an undisclosed wind project owned by a subsidiary of ENGIE North America in the US. The order consists of 60 V163-4.5 MW wind turbines, and includes supply, delivery and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a 20-year service agreement.

‘The V163-4.5 MW is our newest high-capacity factor turbine and is optimised for low to medium wind speeds making it ideally suited for the US market,’ comments Laura Beane, President, Vestas North America.