Construction set to begin on 130-megawatt South Fork Wind Farm

As options for a Wainscott group seeking to block construction of the South Fork Wind Farm’s land-based cable through their neighborhood appeared to have run out, developers Orsted and Eversource are preparing to start construction after a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland are expected to be in East Hampton on Friday to mark the beginning of work for New York State's first offshore wind farm, consisting of up to 12 turbines that will bring power to the East End from a 130-megawatt array situated off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The Long Island Power Authority approved the $2.013 billion-dollar contract, its third-largest spending contract to date, in January 2017. The project is expected to begin producing power, at a cost to average ratepayers of $1.58 a month, late next year.

Support for the project has been widespread, led chiefly by environmental groups and East End towns, but commercial fishing groups and some residents in Wainscott have opposed it, chiefly because of the disruption to a beach and streets in the high-end hamlet.

Representatives for the Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, which filed suit to block the cable in December, just last week pressed an East Hampton Town official to show that the developer had met all conditions for an easement that’s needed for the four-mile cable construction to start.

A spokesman for the group, Michael McKeon, earlier this week had said a full version of a needed Army Corps of Engineer permit had yet to be seen, while questions about mandated testing for known toxins along the underground route remained unanswered, according to a copy of the group's letter shown to Newsday.

"The answers to these questions are essential to understanding the status of the project, including whether South Fork Wind has all the necessary authorizations, both state and federal, to commence construction in our community, including any conditions it must meet before such construction," said the letter, from group chairwoman Gouri Orekondy Edlich.

Asked Thursday morning if the group had any further plans to block construction, McKeon declined to comment.

Meanwhile, South Fork Wind Farm spokeswoman Meaghan Wims, speaking for developers Orsted and EverSource, said, "We have all permits and are moving forward on schedule."

The Haugland Energy Group of Melville, which was awarded the multimillion-dollar contract to place the land-based cable along its four-mile route from Beach Lane in Wainscott to a new LIPA substation in East Hampton, has done some preliminary clearing work, and trenching for the cable will begin next week, officials said.

Meanwhile, East Hampton Town Councilwoman Cate Rogers, who is serving as liaison to the developer and met with Wainscott residents last weekend, said South Fork Wind had satisfied all requirements to proceed, starting with a notice from the state Public Service Commission, which is aggregating all needed state, local and federal permits, she said.

"The developer has received a notice to proceed from the state," Rogers said. She added that the town is "overseeing every aspect of this and I join with every other agency that will ensure Orsted and Eversource complies with every aspect of our easement agreement and that isall permits, state, federal and local. I share the concerns of all Wainscott residents and we want this to be exemplary in terms of a utility project."

In late January, Rogers said, town representatives and department heads had a pre-construction meeting with the developer and were "given a full view of what’s happening. All the town agencies were at this Zoom meeting. All systems right now are go.s"

Newsday reported in January that Haugland Energy Group would begin construction in early February, employing up to 100 workers on what is the largest contract to date for the LIPA-contracted wind farm.

The only contract in LIPA's history larger than the $2.013 billion deal are LIPA's contracts for National Grid power plants and PSEG Long Island’s grid management./fine/bw

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.