By Hadassa Kalatizadeh
A state commission has unanimously approved a wind-farm developer’s plan to bury a 138,000-volt electric cable beneath the sandy beach at Wainscott, in the East Hamptons. The project has a good deal of well-heeled critics–including actress Edie Falco from the HBO series The Sopranos and billionaire Ronald Lauder. As reported by the NY Post, the $2 billion South Fork Wind Farm project is slated to provide power to 70,000 Long Island homes. The 15 wind turbines themselves will be located 35 miles away from Montauk, only the underground power line will run 30 feet under Wainscott’s beach, spanning 4 miles north towards Cove Hollow.
The wealthy neighbors say they have no opposition for the wind-power project itself, rather only for the disruption, noise and potential environmental hazards of burying the transmission line under their beach. The group, which calls itself the Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, wants the cable rerouted farther east, in Amagansett. The group, which also includes banker Daniel Neidich and actress Barbara Kavovit from the “Real Housewives of New York”, signed a petition in 2018 against the cable and are still contesting the easement granted to the developer.
The construction of the wind turbines themselves is still under review with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy. Thursday’s four-member vote by the Public Service Commission in the town of Orstead has cleared the way for the line burial, with construction slated to begin in the spring of 2022, and completion of the project is estimated for late 2023, as reported by 27East. The PSC completed a two-year review process for the project. “This order marks a milestone in New York’s bold initiative to decarbonize it’s electric grid, through the development of offshore wind resources,” PSC member John Howard said. “While we have years of work ahead of us, today’s approval … moves New York closer to its goal”. He noted that addition bigger wind-farm projects are coming up for approvals as well.
Representatives for Falco couldn’t immediately be reached by the Post for comment. The Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott said in a statement: “Unlike any other wind farm proposed in America today, or any project the developer has done in its own country, this project lands a high-voltage cable in a residential area.” The group criticized the board for rushing the project, and said it is considering “seeking redress by the courts.”
