New York has selected Ørsted and Eversource to negotiate a new 25-year contract for their Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm. This conditional award brings the 924-MW project one critical step closer to fulfilling its promise to deliver substantial economic benefits across New York and help the state meet its climate goals.
“As we reset New York’s offshore wind portfolio, we continue to evolve and strengthen the private-public partnerships that will keep us on a path to crystalizing one of the most ambitious offshore wind goals in the nation,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “NYSERDA looks forward to Sunrise Wind delivering clean power to our grid in the near term while helping our local communities realize the family-sustaining jobs, private investment, and public health benefits that offshore wind can bring to millions of New Yorkers.”
Sunrise Wind will now begin the next steps of finalizing agreements with New York’s energy agency, NYSERDA, on Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates contract. The project is anticipated to be operational in 2026 and will begin the full scope of construction once it has received all federal permits, slated for this summer. The final investment decision on Sunrise Wind is expected to be made in Q2 2024.
Joint venture partners Ørsted and Eversource submitted a new proposal for Sunrise Wind in response to New York’s latest offshore wind solicitation, re-bidding an updated project. The Sunrise Wind design has been reviewed and accepted by all relevant state agencies, and the project has secured all major supplier and project labor agreements.
With this successful re-bid, Ørsted will acquire Eversource’s 50% ownership share in Sunrise Wind, becoming the sole owner of Sunrise Wind, subject to signing of an OREC contract with NYSERDA, finalization of acquisition agreements, receipt of the federal construction and operations plan, and relevant regulatory approvals. Eversource will remain contracted to lead the project’s onshore construction.
Sunrise Wind’s Community Investments
Sunrise Wind is making significant investments in the state’s offshore wind workforce and supply chain, including:
- A record US$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.
- US$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 jobs.
- Supporting the development of New York’s National Offshore Wind Training Center on Long Island with a US$10 million investment.
- Advancing the first offshore wind project in America to use high-voltage direct current transmission technology.
- Investing US$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.
