Ørsted has started construction on its 924MW Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm in New York with a groundbreaking ceremony on Long Island.
The Danish energy company aims to commence operations at the American offshore wind project in 2026.
Being built nearly 48km east of Long Island’s Montauk Point, the project is expected to power up approximately 600,000 households in New York.
The offshore wind facility includes an approved transmission route for linking it to the state’s electricity grid at the Holbrook substation in Brookhaven, Suffolk County.
During its construction phase, the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project is anticipated to generate 800 direct jobs in New York.
In addition, the project will bring economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island. This includes an investment of $700m in Suffolk County.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “By breaking ground on Sunrise Wind and advancing the next wave of offshore wind projects, New York is passing a tremendous milestone to combat climate change.
“These projects will create good-paying union jobs and demonstrate that New York is leading the nation to build the offshore wind industry.”
According to Ørsted, the Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm is expected to help New York in achieving its 70% renewable energy mandate by 2030.
Furthermore, the project will accelerate New York’s increasing offshore wind workforce and supply chain.
Ørsted group executive vice president and Americas CEO at David Hardy said: “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’re successfully standing up a new American energy industry thanks to the outstanding leadership of the Hochul and Biden-Harris Administrations.”
Earlier this month, the Danish energy company secured 100% ownership of the American offshore wind facility after completing the acquisition of Eversource’s 50% share. Prior to that, in June, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved Ørsted’s construction and operations plan (COP) for the project.
The COP approval came after the Record of Decision made by the US Department of the Interior (DOI) in March 2024 on the offshore wind farm.
