The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has conducted an inspection at the South Fork Wind project, the bureau’s first inspection of an operational offshore wind turbine in U.S. waters.
Located offshore New York and Rhode Island, the 130 MW South Fork Wind project is the nation’s first commercial wind farm on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
BSEE is the lead federal agency for developing workplace safety and environmental compliance strategies for offshore energy projects on the federal OCS.
The inspection team evaluated South Fork’s risk analysis, procedures and controls from the onshore control and coordination center. They also went offshore to observe control, coordination, pre-job planning, crew transfer and drill performance as well as to conduct a visual inspection of the turbine.
“BSEE will continue inspections of both the offshore turbines and the onshore control centers and provide oversight of each operator’s safety management system through drills and exercises, and evaluations of assets and personnel management,” says Cheri Hunter, BSEE Renewable Energy operations director.
“These actions will ensure that lessees have the capabilities and technical expertise to safely operate facilities in an environmentally responsible manner throughout the entire lifecycle of the windfarm.”
