United States Has Its First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm

March 14th, 10:00 PM EDT

By NEWSnet Digital Team

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NEWSnet Digital Team

Offshore windmills.

(NEWSnet/AP) — United States’ first commercial-scale offshore wind farm is open.

Denmark wind energy developer Ørsted and utility Eversource built a 12-turbine wind farm called South Fork Wind 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York.

Gov. Kathy Hochul went to Long Island Thursday to announce the turbines are delivering clean power to the local electric grid, flipping a massive light switch to “turn on the future.” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also was present.

South Fork will generate more than four times the power of a five-turbine pilot project developed previously off the coast of Rhode Island, and unlike that subsidized test project, was developed after Orsted and Eversource were chosen in a competitive bidding process to supply power to Long Island.

Ørsted CEO Mads Nipper calls the opening a major milestone.

Offshore wind is central to both national and state plans for transition to a carbon-free electricity system. The Biden administration has approved six commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects, and auctioned lease areas for offshore wind for the first time near the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts. In February, New York selected two additional projects to power more than 1 million homes.

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