PROVIDENCE – The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management gave its final approval Friday to the 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island, clearing the way for construction to begin the offshore turbines later this year.
While located east of Block Island and south of Martha's Vineyard, Sunrise Wind is slated to provide power to the state of New York. The U.S. Department of the Interior estimated that the project could power over 300,000 homes.
The project started as a joint venture between Orsted, a Danish multinational energy company, and Eversource, a New England energy provider, but Eversource sold its stake to Orsted in April following the company's decision in 2022 to divest from the sector.
The federal approval follows increased development of wind energy on Rhode Island’s shores and nationally. The Biden administration set a goal of developing 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030.
"BOEM’s approval of the Sunrise Wind project represents another step in building a thriving offshore wind energy industry,” BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing responsible projects like Sunrise Wind as part of our strategy to foster good paying jobs for local communities, ignite economic development, and fight the harmful effects of climate change."
Revolution Wind, another Orsted project that Eversource has exited, will provide power to Rhode Islanders. The wind farm, estimated to become operational in 2025, will produce 400 megawatts for Rhode Island and 304 megawatts for Connecticut. The project is located 15 miles south of Rhode Island, near Sunrise Wind.
Additionally, this March, the South Fork Wind Farm became operational, also owned by Ørsted and Eversource, becoming the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. The South Fork farm, which provides power to NY, has the capability to power over 70,000 homes.
"BOEM’s approval is an important milestone not just for New York but also for America’s domestic energy sector,” David Hardy, executive vice president and CEO of the Orsted Americas region, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the continued leadership of BOEM Director Klein and all the federal, state, and local leaders who are committed to offshore wind. Sunrise Wind builds on our success of South Fork Wind and will deliver more jobs, economic development, and clean energy to New York.”
Officials estimate that Sunrise Wind will create 800 direct New York jobs in addition to thousands of indirect jobs. It is unclear if the project will result in any new jobs in Rhode Island.
