The L/B Jill docked in Bridgeport at the beginning of November, offering residents and passersby a chance to take in a unique vessel, which will play an important role in the construction of the South Fork Wind Farm off the coast of Long Island.
The L/B stands for “lift boat,” a class of vessel with the ability to deploy “legs” that will lift the body of the boat out of the water and provide crews both with accommodations and a stable work platform from which they can work while constructing the tristate area’s first major offshore wind turbine project. The hull will be suspended 15 feet to 20 feet in the air above the surface of the water, avoiding waves and instability. Measured from the seafloor to the top of its leg housing, the Jill will stand at 335 feet tall ”” a greater height than the Statue of Liberty.
Once completed, the South Fork Wind Farm will serve as the central component in a project providing Long Island’s power grid with an additional 130 megawatts of power, enough to power 70,000 homes. It will be paired with several energy storage facilities and transmission improvements on Long Island.
This marks the first of several joint projects between Eversource Energy and Ørsted, formerly known as Danish Oil and Natural Gas but now known for its wind energy projects.
When it is in place, the Jill will work in concert with teams on the shore near Wainscott Beach to drill a path for the cable that will transmit the power from turbines to the grid. The “dinner-plate-sized” cable will be 80 feet below ground, keeping it protected from most weather events and keeping the amount of disruption both on shore and at sea to an absolute minimum.
“This project was chosen as a result of competitive solicitation,” said Jennifer Garvey the head of New York market strategy at Ørsted. “This was found to be the most cost-effective way to address the power supply needs of the Long Island Power Authority.”
While the bulk of the power will be used locally, it could also help meet overall demand and will help meet energy needs across the grid.
“Once power hits the grid it flows where it’s needed,” Garvey said. “You’re getting a glimpse of the work-horses that will be part of this story.”
According to Garvey, the techniques being employed to set up the South Fork project will likely see increased use all along the Atlantic coast as more windfarms are established. The Jill and her sister ships may well become a common site in the future.
“This is really a glimpse into the future for our other two projects, both Revolution and Sunrise when we are going to be using a similar technology,” said Ray Collins, government affairs and community relations manager for offshore wind at Eversource Energy.
Collins noted the Jill or similar vessels will also be in the area for both the Revolution Wind Farm and the larger Sunrise Wind Farm. Revolution will provide power to Connecticut and Rhode Island while Sunrise will help New York achieve its clean energy goals.
The Jill is expected to spend around two weeks at Barnum Pier in downtown Bridgeport, taking on crew and equipment. After it has traveled the more than 100 miles south to the work site being used to prepare seven turbines that will make up the wind farm, the Jill will be served by the Brave a tender ship which will make twice weekly trips to Bridgeport.
Great progress for our planet! Between wind and solar (Just Go Solar!), we may just turn the tables on climate change.