Sunrise Wind Receives Federal Record of Decision, Takes Final Investment Decision
Two Critical Milestones Pave the Way for New York Offshore Wind Farm, Unlocking Further Investments in Local Supply Chain and Workforce
Sunrise Wind Receives Federal Record of Decision, Takes Final Investment Decision
NEW YORK, March 26, 2024 – Sunrise Wind today announced receipt of its Record of Decision (ROD) from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), crossing a critical milestone in the federal environmental review process for the offshore wind project serving New York.
Additionally, Ørsted and Eversource today announced they have jointly taken a final investment decision on Sunrise Wind, solidifying the commitment to build the project, and will now advance with some important onshore construction activities.
These major milestones bring the 924-megawatt project one critical step closer to delivering substantial economic benefits across New York and helping the state meet its climate goals.
Located approximately 30 miles east of Montauk, N.Y., Sunrise Wind is expected to be the country’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion, generating enough clean energy to power nearly 600,000 New York homes.
Sunrise Wind will help New York achieve its mandate of 70 percent renewable energy by 2030, while accelerating the state’s growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain. Sunrise Wind will bring $700 million of investment to Suffolk County and create 800 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in the state. The project is anticipated to be operational in 2026.
“These milestones achieved by Ørsted and Eversource on the heels of South Fork Wind entering full operation demonstrate New York’s leadership in building the U.S. offshore wind industry with Sunrise Wind and future projects on their way to generating clean wind energy to power the grid,” said Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO at New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. “As the onshore supply chain work moves forward, we will continue to see the economic investments in communities from the Capital Region to Long Island come to fruition in the form of good paying jobs and community benefits that are a critical part of our clean energy transition.”
New York State recently selected Sunrise Wind to negotiate a 25-year contract to provide clean reliable energy to the state. The project is finalizing agreements with New York’s energy agency, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), on this Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (OREC) contract.
“New York is already home to the trailblazing South Fork Wind project, and with Sunrise Wind we will build on that foundation, broadening the economic benefits of offshore wind while delivering far more clean renewable power,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “With the federal Record of Decision in-hand and our final investment decision having been made, we can continue to create hundreds of local union jobs and stand up a vibrant supply chain. We thank the Biden Administration, our state partners and the congressional delegation for their continued leadership to advance this important project.”
“We are poised and ready to start constructing the transmission system to connect Sunrise Wind’s clean power to the New York electric grid,” said Joe Nolan, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Eversource Energy. “It’s a momentous infrastructure project, to be built by local contractors and the men and women of New York’s building trades and other labor unions. We promised to put New Yorkers to work building the energy of the future, and now we’re ready to deliver on that promise.”
“Offshore wind continues to soar in New York,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. “Today’s announcement that Sunrise Wind has flown through another critical milestone, combined with the recent announcement that South Fork Wind is officially online, shows that the sky is the limit for offshore wind. Sunrise Wind -- built by the men and women in union labor -- will change the energy landscape in New York. Supporting projects like Sunrise is exactly why I fought so hard to pass the Inflation Reduction Act last Congress, and I remain committed to working closely with New York and the Biden Administration to uplift offshore wind.”
“I have always believed in the potential for New York to play a leading role in our nation’s offshore wind and clean energy development, and I have pushed hard at the federal level to drive investments that grow out this industry,” said U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko. “Today’s milestone announcement will help build on our region’s leadership in this field while supporting good paying jobs and securing our clean energy future. I’m grateful to Ørsted and Eversource for their partnership and investment in our region, and I look forward to seeing the impact of these projects for our state, our economy, and our environment.”
“Producing more energy here at home is critical for returning to American energy independence,” said U.S. Congressman Andrew Garbarino. “In addition to traditional energy sources, as new technologies emerge, we can take this opportunity to not only grow our domestic energy production, but also bring jobs and economic growth directly into our communities. I look forward to seeing this project come to fruition and seeing Long Islanders benefit from it."
Sunrise Wind’s Community Investments
Sunrise Wind is making significant investments in the state’s offshore wind workforce and supply chain, including:
- A record $200 million offshore wind supply chain award to Long Island-based contractor Haugland Energy Group LLC, which will create 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.
BOEM's issuance of the Record of Decision formally concludes its National Environmental Policy Act review process and precedes the anticipated approval of Sunrise Wind's Construction and Operations Plan (COP), expected this summer.
As previously announced, Ørsted has agreed to acquire Eversource’s 50 percent ownership share in Sunrise Wind, becoming the project’s sole owner, subject to signing of an OREC contract with NYSERDA, finalization of acquisition agreements, COP approval, and other relevant regulatory approvals. Eversource will remain contracted to lead the project’s onshore construction.
About Ørsted
A global clean energy leader, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and land-based wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net-zero emissions target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is recognized as the world’s most sustainable energy developer in the Corporate Knights Global 100 index.
In the United States, the company has approximately 700 employees and a portfolio of clean energy assets and partnerships that includes offshore wind energy, land-based wind energy, solar, battery storage and e-fuels. Ørsted is a U.S. leader in offshore wind energy with approximately 3 gigawatts in development and operates America’s first offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Block Island. Ørsted has a total U.S. land-based capacity of 5 gigawatts across wind, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. To learn more about the Ørsted U.S. business, visit us.orsted.com or follow the company on X (@OrstedUS), Instagram, and Facebook.
About Eversource
Eversource (NYSE: ES), celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, is the #1 energy company in Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies for 2024 and recognized as a Five-Year Champion, appearing in every edition of the list. Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4.4 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The #1 energy efficiency provider in the nation, Eversource harnesses the commitment of approximately 9,900 employees across three states to build a single, united company around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and water with superior customer service. The company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like a first-in-the-nation networked geothermal pilot project, solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system. For more information, please visit eversource.com, and follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. For more information on our water services, visit aquarionwater.com.
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