BOEM Gives Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind Green Light to Begin Offshore Construction

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June 24, 2024, by Adnan Memija

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has approved Sunrise Wind’s construction and operations plan (COP), marking the final approval needed for the federal agency to move the 942 MW offshore wind project toward the start of offshore construction.

Sunrise Wind, New York’s largest offshore wind project, is being developed by Ørsted and Eversource Energy, although Eversource has agreed to sell its shares as part of a strategy for existing offshore wind investments.

“Sunrise Wind is a centrepiece 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, Executive Vice President and CEO of Region Americas at Ørsted.

Located approximately 30 miles (about 48 kilometres) east of Montauk, New Jersey, the project is planned to have a installed capacity of 924 MW, enough to power nearly 600,000 New York homes.

The approval of the COP is said to be in line with BOEM’s permitting timeline and follows the agency’s issuance of its Record of Decision in March, which concluded the BOEM-led environmental review of the project.

Sunrise Wind recently finalised its agreements with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on the project’s 25-year offshore wind renewable energy certificate (OREC) contract.

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The Sunrise Wind team will now accelerate work on the onshore transmission system, with offshore construction ramping up later this year, said Ørsted.

The Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm is expected to be operational in 2026.