First large offshore US wind farm officially opens

This first commercial-scale project is expected to be the first of many in US waters.

The first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States is now officially open and is expected to be only a drop in the pond when compared to the number of projects that will one day exist.

The wind farm project is a collaboration between Ørsted and Eversource

Ørsted, a wind energy developer from Denmark, and the Eversource electricity utility have together built a 12-turbine wind farm in US waters. It is located in the water 35 miles to the east of Montauk Point in New York state and is called South Fork Wind.

The official opening took place in Long Island last week and New York Governor Kathy Hochul was there to make the announcement. She confirmed that the project was working to “turn on the future” as it started delivering clean energy to the local electricity grid. Also present was Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Production at this scale is an important step

According to experts, building a wind farm at a commercial scale is an important step forward for the energy industry. That said, they have also underscored that in order to decarbonize the US grid in the battle against climate change, this will need to be greatly expanded

This type of clean energy production is key to both New York’s decarbonization plans as well as those of the country as a whole. They will help in transitioning to carbon emission-free electricity production.

Six commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects have already received their approval from the Biden administration, which also auctioned the offshore area leases for the first time in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts.

New York state also selected two more projects in February. They will generate enough energy to provide over one million homes with power.

Closing thoughts

While there are many different options when it comes to generating clean electricity, it will likely require a combination of several in order to achieve an effective and practical decarbonization of the US grid.

The South Fork wind farm will generate 132 megawatts, which will power over 70,000 area homes.

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