Offshore construction on Sunrise Wind set to begin this year

Image: Ørsted

Giving the green light for offshore construction of New York’s largest offshore wind farm to begin, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced its approval of Sunrise Wind’s plan for construction and operations. This is the project’s final approval from BOEM, following the Department of the Interior’s March 2024 Record of Decision on the project.

“BOEM’s approval of the Sunrise Wind project represents another step in building a thriving offshore wind energy industry,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “The Biden-Harris administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing responsible projects like Sunrise Wind as part of our strategy to foster good paying jobs for local communities, ignite economic development, and fight the harmful effects of climate change.”

The Sunrise Wind project—to be located south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and east of Block Island, Rhode Island—will have a total capacity of 924 MW of energy that could power more than 320,000 homes per year. The project will support more than 800 direct jobs each year during the construction phase and about 300 jobs annually during the operations phase.

Sunrise Wind will help New York achieve its mandate of 70% renewable electricity by 2030, while accelerating the state’s growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain. Sunrise Wind will create 800 direct New York jobs, thousands of indirect jobs, and economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island – including a $700 million investment in Suffolk County alone.

“With the final approval of Sunrise Wind and the recent completion of South Fork Wind, it is clear that New York is leading the nation in building the offshore wind industry,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “We’re grateful for the Biden Administration’s commitment to advancing clean energy projects, and New York will continue to build a green economy, create good-paying jobs, and combat the climate crisis.”

The Sunrise Wind team will now accelerate work on the onshore transmission system, with offshore construction ramping up later this year at the project site approximately 30 miles east of Montauk, N.Y. The project is expected to be in operation in 2026.

“Sunrise Wind is a centerpiece of New York’s clean energy vision, and with this final federal approval we can officially put the construction phase in-motion,” said David Hardy, group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “BOEM’s approval is an important milestone not just for New York but also for America’s domestic energy sector. We’re grateful for the continued leadership of BOEM Director Klein and all the federal, state, and local leaders who are committed to offshore wind. Sunrise Wind builds on our success of South Fork Wind and will deliver more jobs, economic development, and clean energy to New York.”

“Sunrise Wind is a historic investment in New York’s economic and environmental future, and today’s decision by BOEM represents a key step in bringing this project to fruition,” said Joe Nolan, chairman, president, and CEO of Eversource Energy. “This project will deliver offshore wind energy at-scale, and hundreds of New Yorkers are already hard at work building the onshore transmission system that will bring this power to our homes and businesses. Sunrise Wind is a groundbreaking project, creating good union jobs across New York and supporting hundreds of millions in local infrastructure investments, and we are excited to move forward.”

As part of Sunrise Wind, Ørsted and Eversource are already making investments in the state’s offshore wind workforce and supply chain that include:

• A record $200 million offshore wind supply chain award to Long Island-based contractor Haugland Energy Group LLC, which is creating more than 400 jobs for New York union workers to install the underground duct bank system for Sunrise Wind’s onshore transmission line in Brookhaven, in Suffolk County.
• $86 million supply chain contract with Riggs Distler & Company, Inc., bringing construction and steel manufacturing work to Capital Region and Western New York companies supporting the construction of advanced foundation components for wind turbines at the Port of Coeymans. That contract is creating 230 family-sustaining jobs.
• Supporting the development of New York’s National Offshore Wind Training Center on Long Island with a $10 million investment.
• Advancing the first offshore wind project in America to use high-voltage direct current transmission technology.
• Investing $5 million in a research partnership with Stony Brook University.
• Establishing an operations and maintenance hub in East Setauket and harbor facility in Port Jefferson to support wind farm operations and the long-term associated operations and maintenance jobs.
• Completed a host community agreement with the Town of Brookhaven.

Sunrise Wind recently finalized its agreements with NYSERDA on the project’s 25-year Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (OREC) contract.