Nation's Largest Offshore Wind Project Breaks Ground In Bellport On Way To Powering 600K Homes

On Long Island, local and state leaders attended a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Boys and Girls Club of Bellport on Wednesday, July 17, for Sunrise Wind, a 924-megawatt project expected to produce enough energy to power 600,000 homes.

The project – located approximately 30 miles east of Montauk – will support over 800 union jobs during the construction phase and will lead to economic benefits stretching from the Capital Region to Long Island, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said.

“We're growing New York's green economy, building clean energy, and expanding economic opportunities for all New Yorkers,” 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.”

Sunrise Wind is being developed by Orsted, a Danish energy company that was also behind the South Fork Wind project, the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, completed in March 2024.

It will connect to the state’s electricity grid at the Holbrook Substation in the town of Brookhaven. Completion is expected sometime in 2026.

The project’s kickoff was celebrated by New York politicians on both sides of the aisle, with Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer saying it will change the state’s energy landscape “for the better.”

“Built with union labor, Sunrise Wind will provide clean energy for hundreds of thousands of New York homes and boost the regional economy,” he said.

“New York’s energy needs are vast, and so is the urgent need to reduce the greenhouse gasses driving climate change, which is why I fought so hard to pass the historic Inflation Reduction Act to make projects like this possible.”

You can learn more about the project and follow construction updates on Orsted’s website.

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