South Fork Wind completes onshore cable installation and road restoration

The delivery of South Fork Wind’s export cable system was performed by both Long Island’s Haugland Group, which led the installation of the duct bank system, and LS Cable, which installed and jointed the onshore cables with support from Long Island’s Elecnor Hawkeye. Work will conclude this summer on the project’s onshore substation, off Cove Hollow Road.

The onshore export cable work created more than 100 union jobs for Long Island skilled trades workers, including heavy equipment operators, electricians, lineworkers, and local delivery drivers. New York companies provided approximately 90% of the total goods and services, benefiting Long Island’s economy and further expanding the domestic offshore wind supply chain in New York State.

“We’re proud to have worked together with Long Island-based companies and New York union workers, whose hard work helped us complete the onshore export cable scope on time and before the summer months start in East Hampton,” said Peter Rooney, Vice President of Offshore Wind Construction and Execution at Ever-source Energy. “Completing this work is a critical step forward to connecting New York’s first offshore wind farm directly with the East Hampton electric grid later this year, which will result in approximately 70 000 New York homes being powered by clean, renewable energy.”

“The completion of South Fork Wind’s onshore cable installation marks an important milestone for this historic project,” added Jennifer Garvey, Head of Market Strategy, New York, for Ørsted Americas. “We want to thank the East Hampton community for their support and cooperation as we completed this work over the last 15 months. Now that we’re done, the only evidence of the onshore cable in the roads is fresh pavement and several manhole covers.”

“As New York’s first project, South Fork Wind has laid the foundation for a burgeoning offshore wind industry in New York – demonstrating the economic benefits and good-paying jobs that will result from the construction of these projects,” commented NYSERDA Vice President of Large-Scale Renewables, Georges Sassine. “With the support of the local community, today’s milestone brings us one step closer to delivering clean, reliable offshore wind power to Long Island.”

“East Hampton is proud to be a partner with South Fork Wind and Ørsted and Eversource in bringing clean renewable offshore wind power to East Hampton through New York’s first offshore wind project,” stated East Hampton Town Supervisor, Peter Van Scoyoc. “The onshore portion is now complete which brings us ever closer to reaching East Hampton’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030. I want to thank South Fork Wind for their community outreach, transparency, and attention to detail throughout the construction process.”

“As the East Hampton Town Board Liaison to the South Fork Wind project, I am happy to report that the project teams adhered to and were 100% compliant with the more than 200 New York State permit conditions as well as the conditions of the town’s easement agreement,” said East Hampton Town Councilwoman, Cate Rogers. “Ørsted, Eversource, their subcontractors, and the compliance and outreach teams were immediately responsive to any concerns both from the town and the community. This is a job well done.”

“The quality of the cable installation far exceeded the expectations of the Town Trustees,” added Francis Bock, Clerk for East Hampton Town Trustees. “We greatly appreciate the diligence of all involved.”

“South Fork Wind is continuing to lead the way with the successful completion of the onshore export cable installation,” explained Tom Falcone, CEO, Long Island Power Authority. “This significant milestone brings the first offshore wind project permitted in both in New York and in Federal waters even closer to reality. We look forward to the next phase of offshore construction and bringing this new source of clean, renewable energy to our customers.”

Haugland Group affiliates are signatory to several local unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1049 and International Union of Operating Engineers Local 138, who served as the source of construction labour for the project.

“Haugland Group is proud to have participated in South Fork Wind – our most symbolic renewable energy project to date – powering New York State and built by New Yorkers,” said Billy Haugland II, CEO of Haugland Group. “Through the bold vision and alignment of Ørsted and Eversource, the team at Haugland Group was able to successfully build and execute the South Fork Wind interconnect and substation reliably and efficiently through the use of skilled union labour. Made possible by the commitment from New York State toward decarbonisation, South Fork Wind will now serve as a model for the emerging offshore wind industry – advancing renewable energy, introducing a world of career opportunities, and stimulating our local and regional economies.”

“LS Cable Systems America, Inc. was honoured to have contributed to the installation of the 138 kV and 69 kV export cable for New York’s first offshore wind farm,” concluded Kyeho Jon, President of LS Cable Systems America, Inc. “We want to thank our local partners Elecnor Hawkeye and the approximately 20 New York union workers that worked alongside us and the South Fork Wind team to successfully complete this step of construction, which is critical to connecting the wind farm to the local grid.”

South Fork Wind is now in its offshore construction phase, first with work to install the project’s 68-nautical mile submarine cable from its landfall below Wainscott Beach, in East Hampton, to the wind farm site roughly 35 miles east of Montauk, New York. Cable laying is underway.

South Fork Wind is on track to be the first completed utility scale offshore wind farm in federal waters, with the project expected to be operational by the end of 2023. The project will be New York’s first offshore wind farm and will power approximately 70 000 New York homes each year with clean, offshore wind energy.

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