SUNRISE, SOUTH FORK, and REVOLUTION WIND PROJECTS
Location: Northeast (off the coast of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York)
Project Timeline: South Fork Wind Farm is expected to begin construction in 2021 and be completed by 2022; Sunrise is scheduled to go into operation by December 2024. Work is slated to start on Revolution in 2021 and wrap up in 2023. South Fork, however, will likely be delayed due to federal permitting delay approvals and COVID-19, which has impacted the ability to carry out key surveys both on and offshore. A formal update from the federal government on the permitting timeline will inform the project schedule. Similarly, Sunrise and Revolution may also have schedule impacts due to the pandemic.
Number of Offshore Wind Turbines: 15 for South Fork, 110 for Sunrise, and 80 for Revolution Wind
Energy Production: 132MW for South Fork, 880MW for Sunrise, and 704MW for Revolution Wind (with 304MW to Connecticut and 400MW to Rhode Island)
Owners: 50/50 partnership between Ørsted and Eversource
Supporters (Sunrise): ConEdison and the New York Power Authority
On the East Coast, Americans will soon be able to have access to clean, affordable renewable energy through the development of three offshore wind projects — Sunrise, South Fork, and Revolution. The trio of projects is being developed through a joint venture between Eversource and Ørsted.
“Our Northeast offshore wind farms will create hundreds of job opportunities and power our communities with clean energy for decades to come. As the U.S. recovers from this unprecedented economic crisis, these jobs will be a major part of each of our host state’s long-term economic recovery,” says a spokesperson for the Eversource and Ørsted joint venture.
The first offshore wind project to connect in New York State will be South Fork, which will feature 15 offshore wind turbines and generate enough clean energy to power 70,000 homes under a long-term
power purchase agreement with Long Island Power Authority. The developers are constructing the South Fork Wind Farm about 35 miles east of Montauk Point to meet the growing demand for more power in Long Island, N.Y.
To connect the wind turbines to the substation, the construction team will install a 138kV underground transmission cable from the offshore wind turbines to the East Hampton Substation in New York. The route selected will allow the team to cross under a major roadway, stay in existing rights of way, and avoid wetlands. On this route, the crews will install an underground duct bank complete with concrete-encased conduit and cable vaults.
The next project to be commissioned will be the Revolution Wind project about 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast. The project will not only reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but it will also power more than 400,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. As part of the project, Ørsted and Eversource are working with the State of Connecticut and the Connecticut Port Authority to invest $77.5 million to redevelop New London State Pier. About 460 construction jobs will be created by transforming the pier into a heavy-lift cargo and deep-water port. In addition, Ørsted and Eversource are investing $40 million into port infrastructure improvements in Rhode Island.
The third project, Sunrise, will power more than a half million homes in New York. To help meet the goals of New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, including 9,000MW by 2035, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) last year executed contracts with Equinor Wind US LLC for its 816MW Empire Wind Project and Sunrise Wind LLC (a joint venture of Ørsted A/S and Eversource Energy) for its 880MW Sunrise Wind Project to deliver clean, affordable, and renewable energy to New Yorkers.
“Together, these projects, which are both scheduled to enter into commercial operation by December 2024, represent about 1,700MW of offshore wind and are expected to produce an estimated 7,985 GWh of clean, renewable energy a year — enough to power more than one million homes,” says a NYSERDA spokesperson.
About $11 million will be invested in port infrastructure upgrades. In addition, labor unions and the Suffolk County Community College will partner for a training program for the National Workforce Training Center on Long Island.
