First US-built Offshore Wind Substation to be Constructed in Texas

Offshore wind developer Ørsted and its partner Eversource have selected Kiewit to construct an offshore wind substation, which will be deployed at their South Fork Wind project serving New York’s Long Island. This will be the first US-built offshore wind substation.

Offshore wind substations are critical components of utility-scale offshore wind farms. Substations collect the power produced by wind turbines and connect the clean energy to the grid. The offshore substation will consist of a topside resting on a monopile foundation.

Kiewit will not only build but also design the substation, for the 132- megawatt offshore wind project – New York’s first offshore wind farm. 

The 1,500- ton, 60-foot-tall substation will be built at Kiewit’s facility in Ingleside, Texas, near Corpus Christi. More than 350 workers across three states will support this South Fork Wind structure. 

The fabrication workers in Ingleside will be supported by teams in Houston and Kansas. In addition, it has been said that hundreds of union workers in the Northeast will support the South Fork Wind project and additional initiatives in the region. 

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"We’re helping to build a new U.S. manufacturing industry that will create thousands of good-paying jobs not just in the Northeast but in communities across the United States,” said David Hardy, Chief Executive Officer of Ørsted Offshore North America. “We’re proud to partner with Kiewit to deliver the first American-made offshore wind substation. This initiative is part of our commitment to deliver for our long-term partners, combining international experience with local expertise in communities across the country.” 

Kiewit expects to start construction on the substation in November and complete the work by spring 2023, before transiting the substation across the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast for installation at the South Fork Wind site in the summer of 2023. 

South Fork Wind continues to advance through the federal permitting process, with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issuing the project’s final Environmental Impact Statement on August 16. 

According to the developers, South Fork Wind remains on track to be fully permitted in early 2022, with construction activities ramping up soon after and the project producing electricity by the end of 2023.