The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted final environmental approval for the construction of the 132-MW South Fork offshore wind project off Long Island.
Work on what will be New York state’s first offshore wind park is expected to commence in early 2022 after permitting is complete, joint project owners Denmark’s Ørsted A/S and New England utility Eversource Energy said in a Nov. 24 statement.
The next step in the permitting process will be securing final approval of the project’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP). A decision will be taken in January, Renewables Now has reported.
The wind farm, 35 miles east of Montauk Point and 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, is expected to become operational by the end of 2023. Its turbines will produce enough energy for approximately 70,000 New York homes.
Construction will commence with onshore activities and site preparation. The installation of the project’s underground transmission line will start as early as January next year. US offshore fabricator Kiewit Offshore Service Ltd. is already working on the design of the 1,500-tonne offshore substation, which it will build at its facility in Ingleside, Texas.
Offshore installation of the monopile foundations and turbine generators is expected to begin in the summer of 2023.
