Oceantic Network Celebrates Completion of Nation’s First Operational Commercial-Scale Project

BALTIMORE — The Oceantic Network, the leading organization working to advance offshore wind and other ocean renewable industries and their supply chains, celebrates today’s announcement by member companies Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Ørsted of South Fork Wind’s completion. After final tests are conducted in the coming weeks, the project will be fully operational and provide 132 MW of electricity to the grid, enough to power over 70,000 homes and businesses. As one of the nation’s first commercial-scale projects, the completion of South Fork Wind marks a substantial milestone for the U.S. offshore wind industry signifying a new, operational era.

The project features important firsts for the U.S. market, including export cables manufactured at a South Carolina plant, an offshore substation fabricated in Texas, and the first U.S. Service Operation Vessel (SOV) that will soon launch in Louisiana. A new facility produced offshore turbine components in Providence, Rhode Island, and turbines were assembled at a rebuilt port in Connecticut. Dozens more companies provided services like stevedoring, engineering, and construction.

The completion of South Fork brings total U.S. offshore wind capacity to 242 MW (accounting for five operational turbines in Massachusetts). With the completion of Vineyard Wind, that number will rise to 974 MW. A further 8,300 MW has been approved for installation and states have entered contracts for over 16,000 MW of offshore wind power generation. These findings and more are included in Oceantic Network’s 2024 U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report, released this week exclusively for its members.

The following statement can be attributed to Liz Burdock, founder and CEO of Oceantic Network:

“The U.S. offshore wind industry now enters a new phase with its first operational commercial-scale wind farm. Now the question is no longer if we can, but how fast we can. A robust collection of U.S. supply chain companies and unions supported development of this project, and the entire U.S. industry should take huge pride in this milestone. The U.S.’s first completed commercial-scale project is providing clean, renewable offshore wind energy to communities and homes. The Network applauds the efforts of Ørsted and its partners to develop this project, which now shines as a symbol of our industry’s ability to get big things done. We’d also like to recognize the State of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul, and the countless public servants and workers across the supply chain whose hard work has made this project a reality.”

For more information or to arrange an interview with the Network, contact Luke Jeanfreau at luke.jeanfreau@oceantic.org or 504-302-8079. 

As a non-profit organization, the Oceantic Network’s driving purpose is to inform, coordinate, and mobilize human ingenuity, enterprise, and labor to take advantage of the urgent need to tap the vast offshore wind and renewable energy resources that lie in the world’s oceans. The collective, coordinated efforts of our 600+ members equip communities and nations to accelerate the transition to clean energy and create economic opportunities.