New York State 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-megawatt 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.
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “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. 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, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), on the OREC (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 the second quarter of 2024.
“With the selection of Sunrise Wind, New York’s offshore wind story is set to enter a new chapter of large-scale job creation and economic development, and we thank Governor Hochul and her administration for their continued leadership,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “We’re ready to build on the foundation we’ve laid with New York’s first offshore wind project, South Fork Wind, while delivering significantly more jobs, local supply chain and community investments, and renewable power for New Yorkers.”
“We’re grateful for the Hochul Administration’s support of the state’s offshore wind industry and their selection of our updated Sunrise Wind project,” said Eversource Energy Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Nolan. “Sunrise Wind is another major step forward for our shared clean energy future and will deliver significant new investments to New York State, including the creation of hundreds of local union jobs building the project’s onshore transmission system. We’re excited to get shovels in the ground and begin the full scope of onshore construction.”
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.
Sunrise Wind has earned broad bipartisan support across New York from local elected officials and business, community, labor and environmental organizations.
With this successful re-bid, Ørsted will acquire Eversource’s 50 percent 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 $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.
