NYS Public Service Commission approves transmission line for offshore wind farm
The New York State Public Service Commission approved a transmission line that will deliver electricity from a proposed wind farm off the coast of Long Island to the grid.
The 25-mile offshore to onshore transmission line will carry energy from the proposed 924-megawatt (MW) Sunrise Wind Farm, which will be located about 30 miles off the coast of Montauk Point to an existing substation in Brookhaven, located in Suffolk County.
“New York is taking bold action to address the climate crisis, and projects like Sunrise Wind demonstrate our leadership on clean energy,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “As we work to advance our nation-leading climate goals and create the jobs of the future, offshore wind projects will be critical to deliver clean energy to all New Yorkers.”
The wind farm project – which is being developed as a partnership between Orsted and Eversource — has the potential capacity to power nearly 600,000 homes. The transmission line approved by the commission is being built by Sunrise Wind, LLC. Con Edison Transmission and the New York Power Authority will assist in the development of the transmission facilities needed to deliver offshore wind energy to the electric transmission grid. The offshore wind farm is expected to be fully operational by 2025.
“Offshore projects like Sunrise will play a key role in developing clean energy for New York State and will help New York achieve its nation-leading renewable energy goals. Our decision today protects the public interest and ensures any potential significant negative impacts of the transmission project are avoided or minimized. Today’s Sunrise decision is a win for Long Island, and a win for all New Yorkers because it represents another step in the transition to cleaner energy and will create jobs and opportunities for individuals and industries,” New York State Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian said.
The approved transmission project includes a high-voltage, 320-kV, DC submarine export cable bundle up to 5.2 miles long that will enter New York State territorial waters 3 nautical miles from land. The transmission line will then transition from an offshore cable to an onshore cable that will travel up to 17.2 miles to an onshore converter station.
