In a major milestone for the growth of the U.S. offshore wind supply chain, offshore wind joint development partners Ørsted and Eversource announced today the commencement of the first American-built offshore wind substation, which will be deployed at the developers’ South Fork Wind project serving New York’s Long Island.
Ørsted and Eversource have selected Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. (Kiewit), the largest offshore fabricator in the U.S., to design and build the substation for the 132-MW South Fork Wind project – New York’s first offshore wind farm. The 1500-ton, 60-ft-tall substation will be built at Kiewit’s facility in Ingleside, Texas, near Corpus Christi.
More than 350 workers across three states will support this South Fork Wind structure. The fabrication workers in Ingleside will be supported by teams in Houston and Kansas. In addition, hundreds of union workers in the Northeast will support the South Fork Wind project and additional initiatives in the region. In selecting Kiewit, Ørsted, along with Eversource, continues to lead in building the U.S. offshore wind supply chain and is the first U.S. offshore wind developer to select an American contractor to fabricate a wind farm’s offshore substation.
“We’re helping to build a new U.S. manufacturing industry that will create thousands of good-paying jobs not just in the Northeast but in communities across the United States,” said David Hardy, chief executive officer of Ørsted Offshore North America. “We’re proud to partner with Kiewit to deliver the first American-made offshore wind substation. This initiative is part of our commitment to deliver for our long-term partners, combining international experience with local expertise in communities across the country.
”"Achieving our nation's clean energy goals will be largely dependent on U.S.-based companies like Kiewit, and we are excited to partner with them to deliver the first U.S.-made offshore wind substation," Joe Nolan, chief executive officer and president of Eversource Energy. "Our partnership with Kiewit marks another significant milestone for the U.S. offshore wind industry and signals the growth of the next great maritime industry throughout the country. We are committed to creating a clean energy future and fostering opportunities for all Americans.
"Offshore wind substations are critical components of utility-scale offshore wind farms. Substations collect the power produced by wind turbines and connect the clean energy to the grid. The offshore substation will consist of a topside resting on a mono-pile foundation. “The production of clean energy is at a pivotal stage in the U.S., and offshore wind, such as the South Fork Wind project, plays a very important role,” said Paul Geldmeier, who leads Kiewit’s offshore wind power work as executive vice-president, Kiewit Energy. “We are proud to contribute our engineering and construction expertise and experience to this industry-first project.
”Kiewit expects to begin construction on the substation in November and complete the work by spring 2023, before transiting the substation across the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast for installation at the South Fork Wind site in the summer of 2023. South Fork Wind continues to advance steadily through the federal permitting process, with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issuing the project’s final Environmental Impact Statement on Aug 16. South Fork Wind remains on-track to be fully permitted in early 2022, with construction activities ramping up soon after and the project producing clean energy by the end of 2023.
