Construction Updates

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Notice of Commencement of Additional Construction

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Sunrise Wind is our second utility-scale offshore wind project in New York. This approximately 924MW offshore wind farm will have the capacity to power nearly 600,000 homes in New York.

Sunrise Wind is bringing unparalleled experience in developing offshore wind to New York. This is a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted – the global leader in offshore wind – and Eversource, a national energy leader with homegrown expertise in regional energy transmission, including more than 100 years of experience delivering power to the region. 

Subject to U.S. BOEM’s Notice of Intent (NOI) schedule, we are currently estimating that Sunrise Wind will begin generating power by the end of 2025.

Sunrise Wind will support Governor Hochuls goal of establishing an enduring offshore wind supply chain while incentivizing and encouraging economic growth in New York State.

Sunrise Wind will invest more than at least $400 million in New York by 2029 in accordance with our Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Credit agreement with the state. As part of this agreement, we are committed to working with minority- and women-owned businesses to ensure that the developing offshore wind supply chain is inclusive and diverse.

Sunrise Wind is estimated to generate up to at least 800 direct jobs through the project’s construction and initial operation. Thousands of other indirect and induced jobs will be created to support project work – ranging from companies that will monitor wildlife and the seabed around the project to boosting local businesses who provide goods and services within the vicinity of the ports in which we will operate.

One of our biggest commitments to Long Island will be making the Port Jefferson area the home of our Operations and Maintenance Headquarters, a strategic investment that will serve our entire national portfolio offshore wind projects and will support approximately 100 permanent, full-time jobs over the 25-year life of our projects as well as shorter-term construction jobs.

Additionally, Sunrise Wind has committed $10 million in seed funding to create a National Offshore Wind Training Center in Brentwood, located in Suffolk County. Together with partners from labor, academia, and the environmental community, the Center will feature facilities and programming that aim to cement Suffolk County’s role as an integral part of the offshore wind industry. Suffolk County Community College will serve as the academic arm of this initiative.

Sunrise Wind has committed to constructing Advanced Foundation Components in the New York Capital Region and to funding the Upper Hudson Valley Workforce Development Fund, which will ensure residents throughout the region have access to the training needed to succeed in the offshore wind industry. 

Sunrise Wind is entering negotiations with New York State contractors and trade labor organizations on a Project Labor Agreement to cover construction activities for the onshore portions of the project and committed to paying prevailing wages.  Offshore work will be built in accordance with the National Offshore Wind Agreement (NOWA) that has been negotiated and signed by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU).

Read more about us.orsted.com/about-orsted and eversource.com/content/general/about by clicking on the links.

Sunrise Wind was awarded together with the Empire Wind 1 project through NYSERDA’s first offshore wind solicitation.  The cost of the projects will be shared by ratepayers statewide. According to NYSERDA, the bill impact for the average residential customer will be less than a dollar per month for both projects combined.

The Sunrise Wind turbines will be built at least 30 miles east of Long Island’s Montauk Point in an offshore wind lease area making them virtually unnoticeable for Long Island beachgoers and residents. What do we mean when we say that? It’s unlikely that anyone standing on any of Long Island’s beaches will ever see one of our turbines.

The offshore power export cable will come ashore at Smith Point County Park in the Town of Brookhaven, NY. All components which cross the beach will be installed deep underground, using trenchless construction methods to avoid impacts to the beach. Overall disturbances will be limited to the temporary use of equipment during installation of the project. The only permanent aboveground components of the project will consist of a new converter station and expansion of an existing substation in Holbrook, NY, each located approximately 18 miles inland from the cable landing location.   

The Sunrise Wind project will generate enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 homes each year. 

On shore construction is planned to begin in mid-2023. The first phase of construction will include the onshore converter station on Union Avenue in Holbrook and establishing laydown yards for equipment and material storage and set-up.

Onshore construction will begin mid-2023 and is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025.

Sunrise Wind has conducted extensive technical and environmental surveys, evaluated several landing locations, and consulted with local stakeholders to determine the best route for the cable connecting the wind farm to the substation. Based on this evaluation, a cable landing at Smith Point County Park and the route shown have been identified as the preferred route and has been approved by the State Public Service Commission, as it allows us to minimize disruption, avoid environmentally sensitive areas, and stay within existing rights-of-way; and minimize disruption to homes, businesses, and residents. 

An extensive analysis of potential landfall locations was done, including landing points to the west of Smith Point County Park. Landing at Blue Point or Sayville would require installing the cable through Great South Bay. Smith Point County Park was selected because it is an ideal landfall location, with a large parking lot to perform the work, and a narrow crossing of the Intracoastal Waterway to the mainland which can be done with an HDD, minimizing any disruption in Great South Bay. Several existing submarine cables also make landfall here.

The duration of the onshore construction is anticipated to take longer than the offshore portions. To ensure all work is completed together, the onshore portion must begin first. 

Trenching will be used to install the underground cable infrastructure along the onshore route, beginning at the sea-to-shore transition area.  Typical trench widths (not including HDD or vault installations) will be about 4ft wide.  Typically, 200 to 600 feet of trench will be opened at a time in a particular location, then filled and patched once the infrastructure has been set. The roads will be fully resurfaced following completion of onshore construction.

The cable will come ashore under the parking lot at Smith Point County Park and will make its way to the substation via underground duct bank along William Floyd Parkway, Surrey Circle, Mastic Blvd W, Francine Place, Revilo Avenue, Victory Avenue, Horseblock Road, Express Drive S, Waverly Avenue, Long Island Avenue, and Union Avenue.

Once the Offshore cable comes ashore deep under the beach, it will travel primarily under the roadways via purpose-built a transmission line to an Onshore Converter Station being constructed on Union Avenue in Holbrook.  From there, an underground cable will connect the converted power to the existing grid at the Holbrook PSEG Long Island Substation.

No. We will use a very common technique known as horizontal directional drilling (HDD) that allows us to drill deep under the beach without disturbing its surface. It also allows us to maintain public access to the beach throughout the construction process. An animation of the process is available here.

The cable depth under the beach will be between 30-100 feet below the beach. Along the rest of the route, onshore cables will be buried a minimum of three to six feet beneath existing roads and other rights-of-way, like a typical underground utility.

If additional cable landings or projects were proposed here in the future, they would be required to obtain permitting approvals and real estate rights  in accordance with the same rigorous review that Sunrise Wind is undergoing.

Sunrise Wind has been coordinating closely with Suffolk County DPW on the Smith Point Bridge replacement project to ensure that the projects will not impact each other. Sunrise Wind will continue to meet regularly with the DPW during construction to ensure continued coordination.

The project has tested soils along the route for waste characterization purposes in accordance with the project’s agency-approved material management plan. The management of material excavated for construction will be performed in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. It is presumed that fill and native soils can be managed for re-use on-site without additional testing as long as it does not exhibit certain characteristics as defined in the material management plan. Soils with no plan for reuse will be “live loaded” directly onto trucks for off-site transport and disposed at an approved facility or temporary staged and stockpiled at a project laydown yard for later off-site transport and disposal.

No. The installed components are not sources of pollution. Additionally, the project permits require the management of groundwater encountered along the route to avoid contamination in accordance with the project’s groundwater management plan.

Yes, the project has been designed to utilize existing cleared and maintained road and utility corridors to the maximum extent practicable to minimize impacts to trees. Our team has performed an inventory of all trees that are along the project route and developed a vegetation management plan, including tree and root protection plans to further minimize potential impacts during construction. Tree clearing will be minimal and limited to select locations requiring additional workspace. The project will be restoring and replanting temporary workspace locations in accordance with the vegetation management plan requirements.

The project will have environmental monitors on-site during construction activities to observe and serve as an additional layer of protection.

Most onshore construction activities will occur between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. At certain locations, such as the multiple HDDs, other trenchless crossings and along the LIE South Service Road or more heavily travelled roadways, construction outside of these hours may be required to minimize traffic impacts.  Notifications will be made to abutters if applicable. 

Limited and specific activities may be performed outside the standard 7:00 a.m. to 7: 00 p.m. work window if adequate notice is provided, or without notice in the event of extenuating circumstances. In the event of extended work hours, NYSDPS, the Town, adjacent landowners and businesses will be notified in advance, except in cases of an emergency.
Activities permitted with adequate notice:

• Cable pulling and laying, cable joint splicing, and some testing and commissioning activities at the Substation.
• Activities that must comply with road permit restrictions on daytime construction may be performed outside of the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window; in other words – night work where the transmission route traverses or crosses state-owned Montauk Hwy or along the LIE South Service Road or other heavily travelled roads

Activities permitted without notice in extenuating circumstances:

• Certain activities associated with the multiple HDDs and other trenchless crossings to protect life and safety or the integrity of the bore hole.

Access to Smith Point Beach and Smith Point Marina will be maintained throughout the project.  Impacts to the beach will be limited to the temporary use of specific beach locations to facilitate the pulling of the HDD conduit string.  To ensure the safety of the public during these activities, a small section of the beach may be temporarily closed.  This activity will occur between fall and spring to minimize impacts to the public.

Safety is of paramount importance to the Sunrise Wind team. All Contractors are required to comply with the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and all other applicable federal, state, local laws, ordinances, regulations, and other project and site-specific permits. The program management document which guides the aforementioned expectations is the Contractor Safety Policy. The project will have safety professionals on site, to monitor and measure the implementation of the Contractor Safety Policy and, as necessary, develop corrective actions to ensure that worksite health and safety is not compromised.

How will you ensure the project does not hinder emergency service responders?Safety and Traffic management plans will guide the contractor crews. Additionally, the team will maintain communications with Town Officials and emergency responders with updated briefings on the planned construction activities and to devise coordination measures that ensure timely access to and through construction areas. Construction crews will be prepared to allow emergency services access at all times.

The project will maintain the flow of traffic whenever possible, at times alternating one way traffic may be implemented.  Flaggers will be on hand to support traffic flow and occasional short-term road closures that may be required.  Some work will require detours to be established for short periods of time. Notifications will be made to residents and business if appropriate.

The project will be focused only on the southbound lanesof William Floyd Parkway. The project will work hard to keep as many lanes open as  possibly while adhering to safety standards.  There may be times when traffic will be limited south bound to one lane during the 7am-7pm constructions hours.

Construction work on William Floyd Parkway will take place in increments beginning in 2024 and continuing through 2025. Access to businesses and residences will be maintained throughout the project as well as traffic in both directions. 

The project has been designed to limit impacts to businesses in the area to the maximum extent practicable. Access to local businesses will be maintained during the construction activities but there may be some short term, localized and temporary impacts. Sunrise Wind will provide residents and businesses with weekly updates via email of when and where construction is anticipated for the duration of the project.

Yes, any property damage resulting from construction activities will be repaired to previous conditions.

Yes, the construction team will have steel plates on hand to maintain access to properties. These steel plates can be installed within minutes or can be preinstalled to meet property owners’ schedules.

The project team will provide weekly email notices with construction details to keep residents informed about the timing of construction near their properties. Members of the field team will also provide door-to-door notice to residences as the construction zone approaches, and field managers will be onsite at all times providing a point of contact for residents to discuss any access accommodation needs. Additional inquiries or concerns can also be relayed to info@sunrisewindny.com or 631-887-5470.

A number of state and local regulatory authorities are heavily involved in this project. At the federal level, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) leads a review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that will include the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Department of Defense (DOD), among others. At the state level, the Public Service Commission (PSC) leads a review under the Article VII of the Public Service Act that will include the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (SHPO), among others. Local real estate rights have also been obtained from Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven. The permits will require monitoring (including state directed independent monitors) and reporting both while we’re constructing the project and after construction is complete.

Additional information on the project can be found on our project website at sunrisewindny.com or by visiting our Open House Virtual View Room at sunrisewindnyvirtual.com.

Questions can be submitted on our project website at sunrisewindny.com/contact-us or by email at info@sunrisewindny.com.

Yes. Questions or concerns can be directed to 631-629-8410.

Yes, please feel free to sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date on all project announcements and milestones at sunrisewindny.com/contact-us.

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly with any questions you may have at info@sunrisewindny.com or call 631-629-8410.