Offshore wind development impacting Connecticut

Towers and blades for the South Fork wind farm being built off the Long Island coast are staged and prepared for transport to the site at State Pier in New London on Oct. 31, 2023.
Towers and blades for the South Fork wind farm being built off the Long Island coast are staged and prepared for transport to the site at State Pier in New London on Oct. 31, 2023. Judy Benson / CT Sea Grant

Overview and updates on 3 projects relevant to Connecticut

The red area in the top right, identified by BOEM as “Commercial Leases Offshore Rhode Island/Massachusetts,” is where the Avangrid, Equinor, and Eversource/Orsted projects and several other wind projects are expected to be located.

Winds of change: CT sees signs of offshore turbine development

November 3, 2022

Today, just seven turbines harness the power of North Atlantic winds along the East Coast. Over the next several years, thousands of even larger electricity-producing machines are expected to rise from the sea floor from Maine to Florida. Three projects in particular—Revolution Wind, Equinor and Avangrid/Park City Wind—are of interest to Connecticut.

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Gary Yerman, right, owner of New London Seafood Distributors, talks with a representative of Equinor, developers of the Beacon Wind project, at a public meeting at Mystic Seaport on Oct. 3.
Gary Yerman, right, owner of New London Seafood Distributors, talks with a representative of Equinor, developers of the Beacon Wind project, at a public meeting at Mystic Aquarium on Oct. 3.
A fishing vessel passes two of the five wind turbines located offshore from Block Island, R.I.
A fishing vessel passes two of the five wind turbines located offshore from Block Island, R.I. Judy Benson / Connecticut Sea Grant
Dominion Energy’s Charybdis, currently under construction in Texas, will be the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel in the United States. The vessel’s first use is slated to be at State Pier in New London.
Dominion Energy’s Charybdis, currently under construction in Texas, will be the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel in the United States. The vessel’s first use is slated to be at State Pier in New London. Image: GustoMSC
Large vessels with heavy-lift capacity are being used to transport components of the South Fork wind farm to State Pier in New London.
Large vessels with heavy-lift capacity are being used to transport components of the South Fork wind farm to State Pier in New London. Judy Benson / CT Sea Grant
Map from the Northeast Ocean Data Portal shows levels of commercial fishing activity offshore from coastal New England and the mid-Atlantic
Map from the Northeast Ocean Data Portal shows levels of commercial fishing activity offshore from coastal New England and the mid-Atlantic

CTSG Offshore Wind Energy Seafood Industry Advisors:

  • Joseph Gilbert, Empire Fisheries, LLC
  • Michael Theiler, Jeanette T Fisheries
  • Paul Henriques, H and H Shellfish, LLC

Several commercial fishing vessels are docked in New London.

KEY RESOURCES

The L/B Jill, a construction vessel being used for the South Fork Wind project off Long Island, is seen from Waterford Town Beach on July 30.
The L/B Jill, a construction vessel being used for the South Fork Wind project off Long Island, is seen from Waterford Town Beach on July 30.

Map from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management shows offshore wind projects proposed for the North Atlantic.
Map from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management shows offshore wind projects proposed for the North Atlantic.