Frequently Asked Questions
On the Proposed Long Island Offshore

According the American Wind Energy Association (www.AWEA.org), wind turbines have relatively little impact on the environment when compared to conventional power plants. Concerns have been raised regarding the effects on birds. Most of these issues have been resolved or greatly reduced through technological development and improved siting of the wind plants. The Long Island Offshore Wind Park has initiated one of the most comprehensive baseline bird assessment evaluations for any wind project in the world. The Project has been conducting ongoing detailed avian studies of the project area since March of 2004. Boat and aerial surveys by trained avian biologists have been conducted as well as marine radar studies to continuously track birds. These comprehensive studies identify exactly what avian activity is present in the project area. Information concerning avian activity continues to be obtained from existing databases and local avian monitoring groups. Field study and other information quantifies the types of birds that fly in the area, migration patterns, habitat use, nesting times and behavior. The wind park turbines will also be designed to mitigate any potential offshore avian impacts through design considerations such as sleek towers that minimize perching opportunities, and the slow, visible rotation of the blades to help birds avoid the rotors. Avian studies in the area to date have shown relatively small numbers of birds offshore. Studies of existing European offshore wind sites have shown that birds generally avoid offshore wind parks by flying around the turbines. Pre-construction and post-construction studies will be conducted on fish and avian populations to ensure a full impact and risk assessment. The Project will be monitoring for bird impacts once the Project becomes operational.

Wind energy does have some minor wildlife impacts but they are minimal compared to other traditional electric generation choice. The modern wind turbine is far less harmful to birds than are radio towers, tall buildings, airplanes and vehicles and numerous other manmade objects. The Environmental Assessment for the U.S. Coast Guard 411-foot tall lattice radio tower to be built at the Robert Moses Coast Guard Station determined that “no significant adverse impacts to wildlife are anticipated.” (Construction of Remote Fixed Facilities Shinnecock and Fire Island Suffolk County, New York, U.S. Coast Guard, November 14, 2005, p.3-17) Bird deaths due to wind development will never be more than a very small fraction of those caused by other commonly-accepted human activities. Summaries of available wind studies can be found at www.currykerlinger.com and at www.nationalwind.org.

Leading human-related causes of bird kills, in the U.S. alone, include:

• buildings (100 million to 1 BILLION per year)
• hunters (100 million per year);
• vehicles (60 million to 80 million per year)
• communications towers (10 million to 40 million per year)
• pesticides (67 million per year)
• power lines (10,000 to 174 million per year)

Ongoing site-specific avian surveys were designed with sufficient sampling rigor to account for variation in temporal and spatial bird abundance. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) were consulted in designing the study. Both the boat and aerial surveys are conducted throughout the year to account for seasonal variation in abundance, distribution and composition of migrating birds as well as summering and wintering birds. In addition, the surveys will cover more than one year to account for annual differences in avian use of the Wind Park area. Five migratory seasons (three spring and two fall) and monthly off-season surveys will be included in the studies. A multi-year database (NEXRAD) will be used to supplement the field database. With the exception of weather conditions that would make it impossible and/or unsafe to execute the survey protocols, surveys are being conducted over a wide range of weather conditions. Marine radar studies are being conducted to document abundance of nighttime and daytime migrants.

The results of these studies will be evaluated during the environmental review and permitting processes.

According to AWEA, the list of environmental and wildlife impacts of other energy sources is long and varied, including:

• Habitat impacts from mining (coal, uranium), drilling (natural gas, oil), and compressing fuel (natural gas). Some of these effects are local, while others can extend over fairly broad areas.
• Habitat impacts from air and water pollution: acid rain, smog, mercury, drilling wastewater disposal (fossil fuels)
• Habitat impacts from global warming (fossil fuels). Significant changes in some species' ranges are already occurring, particularly in northern latitudes.
• Habitat impacts from thermal pollution of water (nuclear and fossil power plants).
• Habitat impacts from flooding of land and streamflow changes (hydro).
• Habitat impacts from waste disposal (coal).
• While wind plants and their construction definitely have local impacts, the use of wind energy largely avoids these more far-reaching effects. The picture with human health impacts is similar. Air pollution in particular has been linked to a number of human ailments, including heart and lung problems. Greater use of wind energy will avoid emissions that contribute to public health ailments, including Sox, NOx, CO2 and other damaging particulates

The Project is designed to minimize the threat of oil spills to offshore and coastal areas. The offshore electrical substation platform would receive power from six 34.5-kilovolt collection grid solid dielectric cables that would enter via enclosed conduits on the side of the platform foundation. The cables, which contain no fluids, would connect to a main transformer that would use sulfur hexafluoride gas for transformer cooling, an inert, stable, colorless, odorless, nontoxic, and nonflammable gas. The Applicants selected this option instead of a conventional transformer with cooling oil to eliminate the risk of an oil spill from the transformer.

A small emergency diesel generator and fuel tank with spill containment would be installed on the offshore electrical substation platform. In the event of electric power loss from shore, this diesel generator would provide power for aviation and navigation warning lights along with wind turbine startup. The 4,500-gallon diesel fuel tank would have double-wall containment and an automatic leak detection alarm system. As a point of comparison, this 4,500 gallon storage capacity is less than the fuel storage capacity of most offshore vessels. In addition, the offshore electrical substation platform would be sealed from the environment and thus act as a third level of containment. Spill response equipment including sorbents, boom, and other response equipment would be stationed on the platform. No cables would contain any cooling oils or other fluids. All of the underwater cables that would be installed would be solid dielectric, which contain no fluids. Each turbine would contain small quantities of lubricating and hydraulic fluids and greases. The quantities are less than 300 equivalent gallons per turbine. The turbines are designed to be self-containing, i.e., any leaks would be directed to collection areas within the turbine structure.

No pathways would be available for released turbine fluids to escape into the environment.

An Oil Spill Prevention and Countermeasures Control Plan (SPCC) would be developed by the Applicants and submitted for approval to the U.S. Coast Guard and Minerals Management Service. The Plan would describe methods and procedures to minimize and avoid oil spill risks. It would also contain actions to be taken in the case of a spill and response strategies. The Project would use local spill response organizations (e.g., Miller Environmental Group, Inc., www.millerenv.com) along with a trained Wind Park operations staff and the Florida Power & Light (FPL) corporate response team to respond to any incidents. These entities conduct regular training including annual exercises to be prepared for oil spill incidents. FPL has also been recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard with receipt of the William T. Benkert Award for protection of the marine environment.

The Project would use a sophisticated oil spill model called SIMAP to assess the fate and trajectory of oil spill scenarios www.appsci.com/simap/simap.htm. The model was developed by Applied Science Associates of Narragansett, Rhode Island (www.appsci.com), and has been used internationally to provide oil spill response planning and training. The model, which currently includes Jamaica Bay and the New York harbor region, would be expanded for use in the Project area. Any potential oils or working fluids on the wind turbines or offshore electrical substation platform would be incorporated into the model that also includes all ocean features and characteristics, e.g., bathymetry, currents, etc. A SIMAP presentation was made to US Coast Guard officials in 2005. The model could be used by state and federal responders to other oil spill incidents in the region.

Though low frequency sound is less audible to the human ear, it can affect people and animals depending upon its frequency and magnitude. Low frequency sound occurs as a component of many activities including pile driving and marine vessel operation. The effects of these Project noise sources will be predicted at shoreline noise-sensitive receptors and at postulated underwater marine life receptors using acoustical modeling as part of noise impact assessment as part of the environmental review and permitting processes for the Project.

Because of their low seasonal numbers in the vicinity of Long Island’s south shore and their behavior to avoid offshore vessels, marine mammals (principally including dolphins, seals, sea turtles and Northern right whales) are not likely to be impacted by construction and operations of the wind park. Special precautions will be taken during construction to avoid/minimize any adverse impacts. Construction practices such as soft start piling driving, bubble curtains and other proven best practice methodologies will be implemented as required to mitigate noise and vibration.

The Wind Park turbines, the electric substation platform and scour protection system around these structures are not expected to interrupt the “flushing” action of either of the area sewer outfalls due to the separation of the Wind Park structures and these two outfalls. The end point of the Bergen Point sewage outfall (Suffolk County Sewer District No. 3, Southwest) is one mile from the closest wind turbine site location. The Cedar Creek sewage outfall (Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant) is one and a quarter miles from the closest wind turbine location.

(larger version)

State-of-the-art techniques will be used to minimize scouring and accumulation impacts due to the installation of the turbine and substation foundations. Each wind turbine foundation would be 18.7 feet in diameter with a surrounding scour protection system of eight artificial seagrass mattresses. The size of each square mattress is 16.4 feet by 16.4 feet and the total coverage area per turbine would be 2,652 square feet. The mattress would lie directly on the seabed with secure seagrass-like fronds up to four feet tall. We expect the system would quickly capture one- to three-feet of sand near the turbine base. No significant change in local currents is expected after the sand buildup around the turbine base. Information on seabed scour control can be found at: www.scourcontrol.co.uk/howsscsworks.html. In addition, previous studies have “concluded from the range of tests performed that the changes in current, wave and sediment conditions brought about by the presence of the wind farm are unlikely to be significant in the far field, with only very small influences determined in the near-field” (Information taken from a report prepared for the UK Department of Trade and Industry “Potential Effects of Offshore Wind Developments on Coastal Processes ESTU W/35/00596/00/REP URN 02/1336)

Site specific studies and modeling are ongoing for the Project.

Impacts to the environment will be the subject of significant, in-depth analysis reviewed by the Minerals Management Service and numerous other federal, state and local agencies over the course of public review. Preliminary assessments over the past two years have indicated:

• 41 artificial reefs will be created providing new havens for fish and other marine species.
• Reductions in land-based power plant emissions will reduce mercury and other emissions including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide into the environment. Approximately:
  • 235,000 tons of carbon dioxide
  • 489 tons of sulfur dioxide
  • 221 tons of nitrogen oxide
• The wind park will displace significant quantities of fossil fuels when operational in 2008. It will avoid burning the equivalent of 13.5 million barrels of oil over 20 years. At $60 dollars a barrel this would equal $810 million dollars.
• The wind park will produce approximately 435,000MWh of clean, renewable energy every year. This is enough to power 44,000 Long Island homes.
• Offshore wind energy is the most significant practical means on Long Island for producing electricity that does not contribute to global warming