Nation's largest offshore wind farm approved between Long Island and Martha’s Vineyard

Parcels identified for wind-power development
along the Eastern seaboard. Deepwater Wind
is in the large red area. (NYT graphic)

The nation's largest offshore wind farm received approval Wednesday, Diane Cardwell reports for The New York Times. The farm, approved by the Long Island Power Authority, would be placed on "the waters between the eastern tip of Long Island and Martha’s Vineyard."

"The farm, with as many as 15 turbines capable of powering 50,000 average homes over all, is the first of several planned by the developer, Deepwater Wind," Cardwell writes. "It will be in a 256-square-mile parcel, with room for as many as 200 turbines, that the company is leasing from the federal government." The project is expected to cost $740 million.

"The turbines, each roughly 600 feet tall, would be connected to a substation in East Hampton by a 50-mile undersea cable," Cardwell writes. Deepwater officials said unlike other proposed projects it will have little to no effect on ocean views, which has been a concern for many residents. They expect the farm is to begin transmitting power by the end of 2022, meaning construction would need to begin by 2020.

The wind farm falls in line with New York Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's goal of drawing 50 percent of the state’s power from renewable sources by 2030, Cardwell writes. "That goal includes 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind, enough to power 1.25 million homes," the largest commitment to offshore wind in the U.S.