Orsted and Eversource have jointly taken a final investment decision on their 924MW US offshore wind project Sunrise Wind.
This solidifies their commitment to build the project off the coast of New York, and which now advance with some important onshore construction activities.
The move comes after Sunrise Wind has received its Record of Decision (RoD) from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), crossing a critical milestone in the federal environmental review process for the offshore wind project.
Located approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Montauk, New York, Sunrise Wind is expected to be the country’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion, generating enough renewable energy to power nearly 600,000 New York homes.
Sunrise Wind will help New York achieve its mandate of 70% renewable energy by 2030, while accelerating the state’s growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain, Orsted said.
Sunrise Wind is also expected to bring US$700m 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.
New York State recently selected Sunrise Wind to negotiate a 25-year contract to provide reliable green energy to the state.
The project is finalising 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.
David Hardy, executive vice president and chief executive of region Americas at Orsted, said: “New York is already home to the trailblazing South Fork Wind project, and with Sunrise Wind we’ll build on that foundation, broadening the economic benefits of offshore wind while delivering far more clean renewable power.
“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.”
Joe Nolan, chairman, president, and chief executive of Eversource Energy, added: “We’re poised and ready to start constructing the transmission system to connect Sunrise Wind’s clean power to the New York electric grid.
“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 labour 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.”
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.
Orsted has agreed to acquire Eversource’s 50% ownership share of Sunrise Wind, becoming the project’s sole owner, subject to signing of an OREC contract with NYSERDA, finalisation of acquisition agreements, COP approval, and other relevant regulatory approvals.
Eversource will remain contracted to lead the project’s onshore construction.