Construction is underway in New York on what will be the state’s largest offshore wind farm.
A groundbreaking ceremony on Long Island officially kicked off the start of the project, which will support more than 800 direct jobs during its construction phase. It is said the project will stimulate economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island – including a $700 million investment in Suffolk County. Once completed, the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 New York homes.
Developed by Ørsted, it will be built under “industry-leading project labor agreements” which officials say will ensure local union labor’s participation in all phases of construction.
Newsweek has contacted Ørsted for additional information via email.
A wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm on July 07, 2022 near Block Island, Rhode Island. The separate Sunrise Wind project will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 600,000 New York homes, developers said.
John Moore/Getty Images
“We’re growing New York’s green economy, building clean energy, and expanding economic opportunities for all New Yorkers,” New York Gov. 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,” she added.
The project will be situated roughly 30 miles east of Montauk, New York, with a designated transmission route linking to the State’s electricity grid at the Holbrook Substation in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County.
Sunrise Wind has successfully completed all significant federal and state permitting milestones, receiving approval for its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last month.
A report earlier this year concluded that the expansion of green energy projects in 2023 led to a slowdown in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global emissions grew by 410 million tons, versus 490 million tons the year prior.
The report did point out, however, that expanding green energy resources was not the same as a reduction in emissions.
Most greenhouse gas emissions came from China in 2023 despite the East Asian giant leading in green energy development, the report said.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there are over five million solar installations across America. Newsweek has previously mapped the largest solar projects in the U.S. as of 2024, based on their power generation capacity.
Four of the top five were located in California, with one in Nevada.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
