America’s largest offshore wind project approved

On Wednesday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of the 90 MW South Fork Wind Farm that will be constructed 30 miles southeast of Montauk.

The project was approved by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and will be New York’s first, and the country’s second, offshore wind farm.

At present, the only project in operation is the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm, which only began generating electricity towards the end of last year.

Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind, said: “This is a big day for clean energy in New York and our nation... The South Fork Wind Farm will be the second offshore wind farm in America, and its largest. There is a huge clean energy resource blowing off of our coastline just over the horizon, and it is time to tap into this unlimited resource to power our communities.”

The new 15-turbine wind farm will create jobs and is expected to produce enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.

Cuomo said: "This project will not only provide a new, reliable source of clean energy, but will also create high-paying jobs, continue our efforts to combat climate change and help preserve our environment for current and future generations of New Yorkers." 

The approval comes just two weeks after Cuomo announced an unprecedented commitment to develop 2.4 GW of offshore wind power by 2030.

This target – which will generate enough electricity to power 1.25 million homes – is the largest commitment to offshore wind energy in U.S. history.

Cuomo went on to say: "New York leads the nation in pioneering clean energy innovation, and this bold action marks the next step in our unprecedented commitment to offshore wind, as well as our ambitious long term energy goal of supplying half of all electricity from renewable sources by 2030.”

The move has been welcomed by numerous environmental groups.

Lisa Dix, Senior New York Representative for the Sierra Club, said: “Building New York’s first, and the nation’s largest, offshore wind project is an historic step forward. Offshore will provide cost-effective, reliable and pollution-free electricity for Long Islanders, create jobs and new economic development opportunities for New Yorkers, and position the Empire State as a national climate and clean energy leader.”

Heather Leibowitz, Director of Environment New York, said: "Offshore wind needs to be a significant part of the energy mix. It is key to putting the Empire State on a path toward an economy powered entirely by renewable energy. The 90-megawatts of energy produced off east Montauk will get us one step closer to this goal.”

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