Montauk Point, N.Y.: The Block Island wind farm, from Montauk Point, on Long Island, New York on April 16, 2021. | Photo by Mark Harrington/Newsday RM via Getty Images
New York State broke ground on Friday on its first offshore wind farm, kicking off a boom in similar projects aimed at transforming the state’s — and the nation’s — energy mix. The South Fork Wind project off the coast of Long Island is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
New York has the largest pipeline of offshore wind projects underway of any state in the nation, with five in active development. South Fork Wind is being billed as one of the first-ever commercial-scale offshore wind farms in North America. Once completed, it should be able to generate 130 megawatts (MW) of power — enough to power 70,000 homes in nearby East Hampton.
That alone amounts to a major scaling up of offshore wind capacity in the US. The nation so…
