autoevolution
 

Second Major Offshore Wind Farm in the U.S. Receives Approval, Will Serve Long Island

Just a few days after Vineyard Wind broke ground on the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States, another offshore project in the country was just approved for construction.
Wind Turbines 6 photos
Photo: Acciona
Second major offshore wind farm in the U.S. receives approvalSecond major offshore wind farm in the U.S. receives approvalSecond major offshore wind farm in the U.S. receives approvalSecond major offshore wind farm in the U.S. receives approvalSecond major offshore wind farm in the U.S. receives approval
This time it is the South Fork Wind project that just received the green light from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The 130 MW wind farm will be located 19 miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island, and 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York.

As stated by the BOEM, a number of 12 or fewer wind turbines will be installed off Rhode Island, providing enough power for around 70,000 homes. Moreover, the South Fork Wind project will create approximately 340 jobs.

The newly approved offshore wind energy projects are part of the government’s goal of achieving 30 GW of offshore energy by 2030, which is supposed to create even more jobs across the country. But the biggest achievement will be transitioning to a clean, sustainable energy economy.

According to Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, "just one year ago, there were no large-scale offshore wind projects approved in the federal waters of the United States. Today there are two, with several more on the horizon."

The nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm will be an 800 MW project and it will be located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. It will be able to generate electricity for over 400,000 homes and will create around 3,600 jobs. Moreover, it will be able to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 metric tons per year, which is the equivalent of removing 320,000 cars off the road.

Vineyard Wind, the operator of the Vineyard Wind 1 farm, held a ceremony a few days ago, to commemorate the start of construction. Clean energy is expected to be delivered in 2023. The South Fork Wind project will also begin operations at the end of 2023, according to joint venture partners Orsted and Eversource, in charge of constructing the wind farm.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Cristina Mircea
Cristina Mircea profile photo

Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories