The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has approved the construction and operations plan for the Sunrise Wind project, a proposed 924-MW offshore wind facility that will deliver energy to New York once completed, BOEM announced Friday.
This approval was the final decision needed for the project to begin offshore construction. Sunrise Wind is being developed by Ørsted and Eversource Energy, which expect it to start operation in 2026.
“Sunrise Wind is a centerpiece of New York’s clean energy vision, and with this final federal approval we can officially put the construction phase in-motion,” David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted, said in a release. “BOEM’s approval is an important milestone not just for New York but also for America’s domestic energy sector.”
The final project will include up to 84 turbines with the potential to power more than 320,000 homes per year, BOEM said. The project is south of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and east of Montauk, New York.
In March, Sunrise Wind received a final Record of Decision from BOEM, concluding the National Environmental Policy Act review process. Around the same time, Ørsted and Eversource announced that they had reached a final investment decision on the project.
Ørsted had agreed in February to acquire Eversource’s 50% share of Sunrise Wind after the project received final approval and an Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate, or OREC, contract with the state was signed. Ørsted will become the project’s sole owner, but Eversource will remain contracted to lead the project’s onshore construction.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority finalized a new OREC for Sunrise Wind at the beginning of June, after the project was rebid into a 2023 offshore wind solicitation after its prior contract became financially nonviable. This contract contains “new provisions that bring additional benefits to the state,” NYSERDA said.
These new provisions include “new economic benefit commitments above what was originally contracted, including $32 million committed to community-focused investments in New York’s disadvantaged communities and $16.5 million towards wildlife and fisheries monitoring,” according to NYSERDA.