Orsted-Eversource JV installs New York's first offshore wind turbine at South Fork

Orsted and local utility Eversource installed the first of a dozen Siemens Gamesa 11MW turbines at the joint venture-owned South Fork Wind array off eastern Long Island, highlighting the sector's progress amid headwinds.

This is the second project to go into offshore construction following sector pioneer Vineyard Wind 1 and launches New York on its 9GW by 2035 goal.

“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,” governor Kathy Hochul said.

“We are not only generating clean energy, but also pioneering a healthy and safe environment for future generations of New Yorkers.”

The milestone is welcome as the US industry continues to face headwinds of spiralling inflation and interest rates and ongoing supply chain turmoil that have forced out a quarter of total contracted capacity.

Orsted last month slashed its pipeline in half by scrapping 2.25GW Ocean Wind 1 & 2 arrays to New Jersey and hinted at further cuts, including the 966MW Skipjack projects to Maryland.

South Fork won its offtake contract with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) in 2017 for $160.33/MWh for the initial 90MW of capacity and $86.25/MWh for the balance. Both rates escalate at some 2% annually for the 20-year duration.

“South Fork Wind’s first turbine is a testament to American ingenuity and innovation,” said Orsted CEO Americas David Hardy.

The project is being marshalled out of State Pier in Connecticut, which has undergone a $303m upgrade to handle nacelles and towers weighing hundreds of tonnes.

Revolution Wind, the JV's 704MW project split between Connecticut and Rhode Island, will likewise be marshalled from the pier.

South Fork is the only project not contracted through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda) and at this time remains the only one not at risk of cancellation.