Delivering Reliable Energy to New York’s Power Grid

South Fork Wind, a joint venture project for Ørsted and Eversource, marked the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in U.S. federal waters. The 132-megawatt project delivers reliable power to New York’s Long Island communities, traveling through a state-of-the-art transmission system to South Fork Onshore Substation. Ørsted and Eversource selected HDR to lead detailed design and specification of protection, control and SCADA equipment at the substation. 

Twelve offshore wind turbines capture wind energy for South Fork Wind and move the energy from an offshore substation through an underground transmission line to the onshore substation, which supplies energy to the Long Island Power Authority. 

With a focus on system reliability, our team provided engineering design for 24 relay panels at the onshore substation, creating a crucial line of protection before connecting to the regional grid. We leveraged IEC 61850 to monitor and control distribution system equipment and used redundant systems to finalize supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and human-machine interface (HMI) hardware specifications. 

Working collaboratively with Ørsted and Eversource, we developed a one-of-a-kind naming nomenclature assigning codes to substation components to improve project communication and efficiency. The system, called the Reference Design System for Power Plants, was one of many efforts that fostered a positive relationship with Eversource and Ørsted.