'Let's go build it!' | US offshore wind digs in with landmark South Fork ground-breaking
Chiefs of joint developers Orsted and Eversource join Secretary of Interior and New York governor to inaugurate what will be the country's second industrial-scale sector project
The project developers – a joint venture between Dane Orsted and local utility Eversource -- took the occasion to announce their final investment decision on the South Fork “codifying” the company’s commitment to the plan ahead of the event in Wainscott.
“The harsh impacts and costly realities of climate change are all too familiar on Long Island, but today as we break ground on New York's first offshore wind project we are delivering on the promise of a cleaner, greener path forward that will benefit generations to come," said state governor Kathleen Hochul.
“This one project will generate enough clean renewable energy to power 70,000 homes every single year and eliminate up to 6 million tons of carbon emissions,” said Hochul, who was joined at the groundbreaking by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, CEO David Hardy and Eversource CEO Joe Nolan, along with labour leaders and environmental activists.
Halland stated: “Today marks another momentous step in our work to create a robust and sustainable clean energy future. And the best part is that we're just getting started.”
“Now let's go build this wind farm!”
South Fork follows the 800MW Vineyard Wind project off coastal Massachusetts, which began construction last November. The project, a joint venture between Iberdrola's US subsidiary Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is expected to be commissioned in 2024.
The project has stirred controversy during its long development, however, and a lawsuit is pending in Suffolk County Supreme Court filed by the Government Justice Centre on behalf of a private citizen alleging that the project’s award violated LIPA’s own procurement process and mandates.
The Biden administration touts the sector for not only generating green power but employment and investment, with up to 70,000 jobs expected to be created over the next decade.
“South Fork groundbreaking is more than just symbolic; it means that offshore wind jobs are here,” said Ross Gould, vice president of supply chain development at industry association the Business Network for Offshore Wind.”
South Fork’s construction and operations plan targets offshore construction beginning in mid-2023, with the end of that year tentatively scheduled for commissioning.
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