The Sunrise Wind project is a 924MW offshore wind farm being developed in New York, US. It is expected to be the largest wind farm in the country upon completion.
The project is wholly owned by Orsted, a renewable energy company, after it acquired Eversource’s 50% ownership share in the project in July 2024.
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The construction work on the onshore transmission system is progressing, with offshore construction expected to ramp up in the latter part of 2024. The project is expected to be operational in 2026.
The wind farm will generate enough electricity to power more than 600,000 homes. It help New York to accomplish a carbon-free energy grid by 2040.
Sunrise Wind will invest up to $700m in Suffolk County and generate 800 direct jobs and up to 100 full-time positions.
Sunrise Wind project location
The Sunrise Wind project is being developed approximately 48km east of Montauk Point of Long Island, New York. It will be located adjacent to the South Fork wind farm and Revolution Wind projects in federal waters off the northeastern coast of the US.
The wind farm will be undetectable by Long Island residents and visitors to the beach.
Sunrise Wind project details
The Sunrise wind project will feature 84 units of SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbine generators (WTGs).
The project will connect to New York’s electricity grid at the Holbrook substation in central Long Island via a 161km transmission line.
An operation and maintenance hub will be constructed for the wind farm, in the greater Port Jefferson area. The hub will include dockage for a 250ft service operation vessel serving a kind of floatel, with a warehouse and office facility in the vicinity.
The Sunrise wind farm is expected to have an operational life of 25 years.
SG 8.0-167 DD turbine details
The SG 8.0-167 DD is an S (IB) wind-class turbine with a rotor diameter of 167m and a nominal capacity of 8MW.
The turbine’s aerodynamic B81 blades measuring 81.4m in length enable it to produce 20% more energy compared to its predecessor. The use of a powerful magnet generator makes the turbine light and easy to maintain.
The pitch-regulated, variable speed turbine has a swept area of 21,900m², 18% larger than its predecessor models. It incorporates direct drive technology, which reduces the number of moving parts and wear-prone components in the turbine.
The turbine is installed at Denmark’s National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines and Hornsea Two offshore wind farm.
New York’s measures for renewable energy
The Sunrise Wind project and the Empire Wind project are part of the US’ largest offshore wind agreement and the single largest renewable energy procurement by any US state.
The two projects will collectively contribute 1.7GW to power one million homes, generate $3.2bn in revenue, and create 1,600 jobs.
The two wind farms will enable the generation of major supply chain investments in the US by the offshore wind sector for the first time.
The New York State Governor also signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), under which the state has to create a carbon-free electricity system by 2040 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85% below 1990 levels, by 2050.
The New York State has awarded renewable energy contracts of approximately 4.7GW since March 2018. The projects will facilitate approximately 10% of New York’s electricity needs by 2025 and create more than 10,000 jobs.
Contractors involved
Turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa was awarded the contract to supply the wind turbines for the project in September 2022.
Con Edison Transmission will develop the transmission facilities required to deliver the wind energy to the grid. New York Power Authority (NYPA) will also support the development of the transmission infrastructure.
