Windfarm Offshore New York Begins Construction

New York Governor Gretchen Hochul (D) said in July that Ørsted A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) began construction on the Sunrise Windfarm about 30 miles off the coast of Montauk Point, Long Island, as New York aims for renewables to account for 70% of the state's electricity mix by 2030. In addition to the Sunrise project, Industrial Info is tracking more than $1 billion worth of renewable-generation projects under construction in New York.

The Sunrise Windfarm will feature a peak capacity of 924 megawatts (MW), enough to power about 600,000 New York homes. Orsted has said the facility should begin generating power in 2026. Last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) gave federal clearance for construction to begin. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to read the detailed project report. For more information, see June 26, 2024, article - U.S. Feds Greenlight Sunrise Offshore Windfarm.

The windfarm will aid President Joe Biden's goal of establishing 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and another 15 GW in floating offshore capacity by 2035. New York state alone expects to see 9 GW of offshore wind energy by 2035. For information on the development of U.S. offshore wind power, see July 5, 2024, article - Avangrid Cleared for Another U.S. Offshore Wind Farm; June 27, 2024, article - Vineyard Wind Now Largest Offshore Facility in U.S.; and May 28, 2024, article - Review Puts U.S. Closer to Offshore Wind Goals.

"We're growing New York's green economy, building clean energy, and expanding economic opportunities for all New Yorkers," Hochul said in a press release. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) added: "The start of construction on the Sunrise Wind project marks a pivotal moment in New York's journey to advance clean energy across the state … I commend Governor Hochul for her dedication to advancing clean energy projects and I will continue to fight to secure federal resources to target air pollution and combat climate change."

Among the other renewable-generation projects underway in New York is Hecate Energy's (Chicago, Illinois) $600 million Cider solar farm in Genesee County, which is designed to utilize photovoltaic (PV) panels to provide 500 MW of solar-generation capacity--capable of supplying 920,000 megawatt-hours of electricity to power more than 125,000 average New York households, according to the project website. Stantec Incorporated (NYSE:STN) (Edmonton, Alberta) is providing project management and engineering services for the project, which is expected to wrap up around the end of the year. Subscribers can click here to read the project report.

Meanwhile, EDF Renewable Energy North America's (San Diego, California) Morris Ridge solar farm near Mount Morris, about 60 miles east of Buffalo, also is expected to wrap up in the fourth quarter. Morris Ridge is designed to utilize about 370,000 panels from Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) to provide up to 177 MW of solar power. According to the project website, the power would flow to the New York power grid via a nearby point of interconnection that taps into an existing transmission line and the company is exploring energy storage for the roughly 1,000-acre site. Click here to read more information on the project.

In terms of other sources of renewable energy, the New York Power Authority is performing improvements to the Robert Moses Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station to extend the plant's operating life. The plant utilizes 13 generators at an installed capacity of roughly 2.5 GW. Among the efforts is $134 million in upgrades, expected to wrap up by the end of 2029, that include providing added protection against cyberattacks and replacing mechanical components at the end of their operating life. Burns & McDonnell Incorporated (Kansas City, Missouri) is providing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the project. Subscribers can click here to read more information.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.