New York’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Breaks Ground

July 18, 2024, by Adnan Memija

On 17 July, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of construction of Sunrise Wind, the state’s largest offshore wind project, developed by Ørsted.

The groundbreaking at the Boys and Girls Club of Bellport on Long Island officially kicked off the start of the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project which is said to support more than 800 direct jobs during the construction phase of the wind farm.

The project will also spur economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island, including a USD 700 million investment in Suffolk County alone, said Ørsted, who recently became the sole owner of the offshore wind farm after acquiring Eversource’s stake for USD 152 million.

“Sunrise Wind builds on the momentum from South Fork Wind as we deliver jobs, economic development, and clean power for hundreds of thousands of New York homes and businesses. […] We look forward to building New York’s largest offshore wind project, helping the state meet its clean energy targets while strengthening the local offshore wind workforce and supply chain,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted.

Sunrise Wind will be located approximately 30 miles (approximately 48 kilometres) east of Montauk, New York, with an approved transmission route connecting to the state’s electricity grid at the Holbrook substation in Brookhaven town in Suffolk County.

The project has already completed all major federal and state permitting milestones and received approval of its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 21 June.

Ørsted and its former partner Eversource took a final investment decision (FID) on the 924 MW Sunrise Wind in March 2024, shortly after being selected in New York’s fourth solicitation.

The offshore wind project is expected to be fully operational in 2026. Once completed, it will generate enough renewable energy to power nearly 600,000 homes, according to its developer.

In addition to Sunrise Wind, Ørsted is also one of the owners of South Fork Wind, America’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm. The project was completed in March this year and has a capacity of 132 MW.