Celebrating One Year with South Fork Wind

A year after producing its first power, South Fork Wind — the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm — has proven to be a reliable source of clean energy for New York.  

South Fork Wind is a 12-turbine, 132 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm powering 70,000 homes across Long Island, New York. Located 35 miles east of Montauk Point, the wind farm delivers power to the local substation in the Town of East Hampton through a series of transmission cable systems buried in the sea floor. 

South Fork Wind was first approved by the Long Island Power Authority in 2017 to meet the growing electricity demands of Long Island’s ‘South Fork’ – a peninsula in the southeastern section of Suffolk County on the South Shore of Long Island. 

Following a comprehensive design, development, and permitting process, construction took two years to complete once the project’s final approval was granted.   

Milestone Timeline  

• Groundbreaking – February 2022 
• Onshore cable installation – May 2023 
• First monopile foundation – June 2023 
• Offshore wind substation installation – July 2023 
• Onshore substation completion – August 2023 
• First turbine installation – November 2023 
• Construction completion – March 2024 
• Full commissioning – July 2024 

American Manufacturing: The project features the country’s first American-built offshore substation, constructed by Kiewit in Brownsville, Texas, and is the first offshore wind farm to use an American-made and -crewed service operations vessel, the ECO Edison built by Edison Chouest in Houma, Louisiana.  

In addition, South Fork Wind’s export cable was made in South Carolina, its foundation components in Rhode Island, and the turbines’ onshore assembly occurred in Connecticut.  

American Jobs: South Fork Wind has provided numerous economic benefits to the local economy, including creating nearly 1,000 jobs across five states, creating new business for local companies, supporting training programs, and more. It’s providing clean, reliable, and affordable electricity and supporting the buildout of America’s offshore wind industry.  

Wind Farm Production: Performing as Expected  

In its first year of operation, South Fork Wind has proven that offshore wind is a dependable and reliable energy source. 

While wind patterns are seasonal and vary by geographical location, offshore wind energy production in New York is highest during the winter months, when winds are strongest and most consistent. However, offshore wind turbines generate power almost all the time. 

For more information, read our fact sheet or visit SouthForkWind.com.