Wind Farm Forum in June

The Public Service Commission of the New York State Department of Public Service has announced an informative forum and public statement hearing on the proposed South Fork Wind Farm to be held on June 11 at the Emergency Services Building in East Hampton.

Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind, formerly known as Deepwater Wind, proposes that a 15-turbine installation be constructed approximately 35 miles east of Montauk. The company, which was acquired by the Danish energy company Orsted last year, has applied to the Public Service Commission for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need to construct approximately 3.5 miles of the proposed wind farm’s transmission cable from the state territorial waters boundary to the town’s south shore, and approximately 4.1 miles from the landing site to the interconnection facility at the Long Island Power Authority substation near Buell Lane in East Hampton.

The ocean beach at the end of Beach Lane in Wainscott is the company’s preferred site for the cable landing. 

Afternoon and evening sessions will be held. Informational forums will be at 2 and 6 p.m., each to be followed by a public statement hearing at 3 and 7. During the forums, maps of the proposed route will be available for review, commission representatives will give a short presentation on the review process in this case, and Orsted representatives will be available to answer questions. The public has been invited to arrive at any time during the forums to review information and ask questions.

Those wishing to comment on Orsted’s request will have an opportunity to do so, on the record before an administrative law judge, during the public statement hearings. Appointments are not necessary, and people will be called to speak after completing a request card. Each public statement hearing will be held open for at least half an hour and, where practicable, kept open until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made. A transcript of each hearing will be made ­for inclusion in the record.

Those who cannot attend or would prefer not to speak at a public statement hearing can do so at dps.ny.gov by clicking on “Search,” using case number 18-T-0604, and clicking on the “Post Comments” button at the top of the page. Comments can be emailed to [email protected], or mailed to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany 12223-1350. The commission’s opinion line can also be called 24 hours a day at 800-335-2120. 

Comments will be accepted throughout the proceedings, but have been requested by July 12. Written comments will become part of the record considered by the commission. Written comments can be seen at dps.ny.gov by clicking on “Search,” using the case number, and then clicking on the “Public Comments” tab. 

The application can be seen at dps.ny.gov using the case number, and at the East Hampton Library, the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton, the Amagansett Library, and the Springs Library.