South Fork Wind, an up to 12 turbine offshore wind farm to be located 19 miles southeast of Block Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, got its “Record of Decision” from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on November 24. The decision includes an environmental review and essentially means that the project has been approved, except for review and acceptance of a construction and operations plan that is expected to be approved in January.
The 12-turbine facility is expected to meet the energy demands of about 70,000 homes on Long Island with 130 megawatts and to employ 340 people. It is a jointproject between Orsted, the owner of the Block Island Wind Farm and Eversource. Operations are expected to begin at the end of 2023.Construction is expected to start soon with the installation of an export cable that will come ashore in East Hampton, Long Island. Fabrication of an offshore substation that will be 60 feet tall and weigh 1,500 tons is in progress, with the work being performed by Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. Near Corpus Christie, Texas.
Orsted has been conducting fisheries monitoring and geotechnical surveys offshore for both South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind,
