The Orsted-Eversource Energy joint venture will locate its operations and maintenance (O&M) facility for the 880MW Sunrise Wind offshore project in the north shore of Long Island.

The Research Way O&M complex in the Town of Brookhaven will also help support the developer’s portfolio of other contracted US northeast Atlantic offshore wind projects that include the 130MW South Fork Wind, 704MW Revolution Wind and 1.1GW Ocean Wind , plus the proposed up-to-2GW Bay State Wind.

The 5,570 square metre facility will house permanent staff of Sunrise Wind, scheduled for 2024 commercial operation, and South Fork Wind, among other teams, including positions such as technician, warehouse coordinator, contract manager, head of site, and other offshore and onshore jobs.

Mikkel Maehlisen, head of operations at Orsted in North America, will also locate there.

In July 2019, New York State selected Sunrise Wind (and Equinor’s 816MW Empire Wind project) in its inaugural offshore wind solicitation to deliver electric power over 25 years. The array will be located at least 48km east of Montauk Point on the tip of Long Island.

Its second offshore wind solicitation for up to 2.5GW capacity, the largest round yet by any US state, closed last month. Winners will be made public in December.

Orsted and Eversource are also advancing plans to make Port Jefferson deepwater harbour the home base of the first American-flagged, Jones Act-qualified service operations vessel (SOV) that will support their offshore wind portfolio. The port is about 4.5 km east of the O&M facility.

Together, the investments will create about 100 permanent direct jobs for the region, as well as significant indirect and induced jobs.

“This is a major moment and inflection point for New York and Long Island, as we move from promises made to promises kept for New York,” said David Hardy, chief executive of Orsted Offshore North America.

The state wants to have 9GW of offshore wind capacity in place by 2035, a key contributor to achieve its legal mandate that 100% of its electricity come from zero-emission sources by 2040.

Wind

Orsted and Eversource plan Long Island offshore wind base