AmericasOffshoreRenewables

US approves second commercial-scale offshore wind project

The Biden administration has approved the construction and operations of the South Fork offshore wind farm proposed by joint venture partners Ørsted and Eversource off the coast of Rhode Island, becoming the second commercial-scale wind project to receive federal approval, following the consent for the Vineyard Wind development off Martha’s Vineyard earlier this year.

The 132 MW project will be located around 30 km southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 56 km east of Montauk Point, New York. It will create about 340 jobs and provide enough power for about 70,000 homes when it begins operations at the end of 2023.

“We have no time to waste in cultivating and investing in a clean energy economy that can sustain us for generations. Just one year ago, there were no large-scale offshore wind projects approved in the federal waters of the United States. Today there are two, with several more on the horizon,” said the secretary of interior Deb Haaland.

Construction on South Fork Wind should begin shortly, with onshore activities commencing as early as January 2022. Kiewit Offshore Services, the biggest offshore fabricator in the US, is already in the process of designing and building the project’s offshore substation. The project’s monopile foundations and 11 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbines are anticipated to be installed offshore in summer 2023.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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