Sunrise Wind is a 924 MW utility-scale offshore wind farm under construction on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore which will provide power to the state of New York. It is located 16.4 nautical miles (18.9 miles, 30.4 kilometers) south of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, 26.5 nautical miles (30.5 miles, 48.1 kilometers) east of Montauk Point, New York, and 14.5 nautical miles (16.7 miles, 26.8 kilometers) from Block Island, Rhode Island. Sunrise Wind will consist of 84 Siemens Gamesa 8.0-167 turbines, each with turbine with a rotor diameter of and a capacity of 8.0 MW.
Sunrise Wind is expected to become the first offshore wind farm in the US to use a more efficient High Voltage Direct Current transmission system. HVDC technology will reduce the number of cables and electrical connections needed and increase the overall efficiency of the project by reducing the amount of energy lost in transmission.
The developer, Ørsted, projects Sunrise Wind to create at least 800 direct construction jobs. By 2027, Sunrise is expected to produce the amount of power equivalent to the annual consumption of 600,000 New York homes.
Sunrise Wind won its offtake agreement with NYSERDA in March 2024 at a higher price of $146. Ørsted completed its Purchase and sale agreement with NYSERDA in June 2024. Sunrise Wind is a part of New York State’s broader initiative to transition to clean energy and achieve net zero emissions by 2040, as outlined in its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Sunrise Wind is also aligned with New York’s goal of achieving 9 GW of offshore wind energy by 2035. Sunrise Wind's development and planning process spanned 11 years, from securing the lease in 2013 to beginning construction in 2024. The project is expected to operate fully from 2027 until 2052.
On 22 December 2025, the US interior department suspended Sunrise Wind and four other offshore wind leases (Vineyard Wind, Empire Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and Revolution Wind (Rhode Island)) over what it said were 'national security concerns'.Trump officials halt offshore wind-farm projects over ‘national security risks’ Ørsted filed a lawsuit against suspending Revolution Wind.orsted.com 2 January 2026. On 12 January 2026, US district judge Lamberth has overturned this construction freeze. He said this project is likely to succeed in the ongoing legal dispute.theguardian.com 12 January 2026: US judge lets Danish firm resume Rhode Island offshore wind project halted by Trump. Lamberth stated that without a preliminary injunction, the project would suffer “irreparable harm” and that the company's request was “in the public interest.”
Development timeline The Sunrise Wind Project follows a four-phase development timeline: Early Development & Planning (2011–2021), Environmental Review & Permitting (2020–2024), Record of Decision & Approvals (2024), and Construction & Installation (2024–2027).
The project began with BOEM’s leasing process in 2011, progressing through environmental assessments, lease consolidations, and ownerships transfers, ultimately ending in Orsted gaining full ownership of Sunrise Wind. Regulatory milestones include permit applications in 2020, a Draft EIS in 2022, and a Final EIS in 2023, culminating in BOEM’s approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) in June 2024. A point to note is that Sunrise Wind originally contracted with NYSERDA at a strike price of $110.37 in NY's first OSW solicitation in 2018. In order to remain financially viable, the developers bid into NY's fourth OSW solicitation in November 2023 in order to contract a 27% higher OREC contract at a strike price of $146 per MWh for 924MW's.
The U.S. Department of the Interior approved the Record of Decision for the project in March 2024. Construction began shortly thereafter in June 2024. As of early 2025, the developer projects Sunrise to be fully operational by the latter half of 2027.
Early Development & Planning August 2011: BOEM releases Call for Information & Nominations to assess interest in Call Area February 2012: BOEM designates WEA June 2013: Environmental Assessment completed with a FONSI July 2013: BOEM conducted a competitive auction and awarded Lease OCS-A 0487 (67,250 acres) to Deepwater Wind New England, LLC. October 2018: Ørsted acquired Deepwater Wind for $510 million, which included the Sunrise Wind Project. June 2017: BOEM approves the SAP for Lease OCS-A 0500 August 2020: Lease OCS-A 0487 assigned to Sunrise Wind, LLC. September 2020: Bay State Wind, LLC transferred its interest in a portion of lease OCS-A 0500, designated as OCS-A 0530, to Sunrise Wind, LLC. March 2021: BOEM consolidated lease OCS-A 0530 into Lease OCS-A 0487, amending it to cover a total area of 109,952 acres.Environmental Review & Permitting September 2020: Sunrise submits initial COP to BOEM December 2022: BOEM releases draft EIS for Sunrise Wind December 2023: BOEM releases FEIS May 2024: Sunrise Wind contracted a new 25-year OREC with NYSERDA at strike price of $146 per MWh for 924MW's (27% increase from first contract in NY's first OSW solicitation)Record of Decision & Approvals March 2024: The U.S. Department of the Interior and BOEM issue joint ROD June 2024: BOEM approves final COP for Sunrise WindConstruction & Installation June 2024: Construction activities begin, including detailed design, procurement, and contracting. Developers start sourcing materials for turbine foundations and cables. 2025: Installation of turbines begins. By 2026, Sunrise Wind aims to be operational with a possible continuation of construction until the second half of 2027. Notes: BOEM= Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. FEIS = Final Environmental Impact Statement. ROD = Record of Decision. COP= Construction and Operations Plan. WEA = Wind Energy Area. FONSI = Finding of No Significant Impact. SAP = Site Assessment Plan
Lease area
Location Covering approximately 86,823 acres, the Sunrise Wind Lease Area OCS-A 0487 is located in federal waters. At its closest points to shore, the lease area is located 30.4 km south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, 48.1 km east of Montauk, New York, and 26.8 km from Block Island, Rhode Island. This location positions Sunrise Wind to harness robust offshore wind resources while minimizing visual impact from shore. The lease area overlaps with commercial fishing waters, although only a portion of the land will be used for the wind turbines and associated infrastructure, leaving much of the area still available for other uses. The offshore export cables would be buried below the seabed in New York state and federal waters, running 104.6 miles. The Holbrook and West-Bus substation in the town of Brookhaven, New York within the Long Island Power Authority's service territory is the planned point of interconnection.
History of the lease area
In 2010 the Department of Interior initiated the preliminary leasing assessment of the area between Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts for offshore wind development. In December 2010, a Request for Interest was published by BOEM in the Federal Register, and in 2011, a Call for Information and a Notice of Intent was published. These documents started the environmental assessments for the region between Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In 2012, BOEM called for public comment in the Federal Register for the sale. Sunrise Wind was awarded the preliminary lease in 2015. Momentum with the project was stalled until NYSERDA’s fourth offshore wind solicitation in 2023, which ultimately resulted in Sunrise’s selection. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCS) mandates that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) must award leases for renewable energy projects through competitive bidding, unless BOEM determines there is no competitive interest.
On July 31, 2013, BOEM concluded its lease auction and awarded Lease OCS-A 0487 (consisting of about 67,250 acres) to Deepwater Wind New England, LLC. Deepwater Wind New England, LLC then assigned Lease OCS-A 0487 to Sunrise Wind, LLC on August 3, 2020. On September 3, 2020, Bay State Wind, LLC assigned 100% of its record title interest in a portion of lease OCS-A 0500 to Sunrise Wind, LLC, which BOEM designated OCS-A 0530. Through an amendment to Lease OCS-A 0487 on March 15, 2021, BOEM consolidated lease OCS-A 0530 into Lease OCS-A 0487. The resulting lease area is 109,952 acres and effective date of lease OCS-A 0487 remains October 1, 2013.
Ørsted, the second largest wind farm company in the world, entered the Sunrise Wind Project timeline in June 2015 when BOEM approved the reassignment of Lease OCS-A 0500 to Ørsted (formerly DONG Energy Massachusetts, LLC). This lease was initially awarded to RES Developments in January 2015 during a competitive lease sale for the wind energy area offshore Massachusetts. Between 2021 and 2023 Sunrise faced regulatory challenges. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) held its fourth offshore wind solicitation in January 2024. Sunrise Wind bid-in at a higher price. Sunrise Wind will earn $150.15 per megawatt hour in the 25-year contract, which is significantly higher than the $110.37 MW/h price from 2019. Initially, Eversource and Ørsted were co-owners of the project until January 2024, when Ørsted acquired Eversource’s share (50%) for $152 million, becoming the full owner of Sunrise Wind, LLC.
Regulatory and permitting process The Sunrise Wind project underwent a comprehensive regulatory approval process. BOEM approved the Site Assessment Plan (SAP) for Lease OCS-A 0500 (Bay State Wind) on June 29, 2017. On September 1, 2020, Sunrise Wind, LLC submitted its COP to BOEM, detailing plans for construction, operation, and decommissioning of the wind farm. BOEM conducted a thorough environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), assessing potential impacts on marine ecosystems, navigation, and other ocean users. On March 26, 2024, BOEM issued the ROD, concluding the environmental review and granting approval for the project to proceed. Following the ROD, BOEM approved the COP on June 21, 2024, finalizing the federal permits necessary for construction and operation. Developers obtained authorization from NOAA Fisheries for the incidental take of marine mammals during construction, ensuring compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Site assessment plan In 2014, site assessment began for Sunrise. Bay State Wind requested a one-year extension for submitting the site assessment plan, which BOEM approved. In December 2016, the SAP was filed and further revisions were submitted in March and April 2017. On May 1, 2017, the Site Assessment Plan (SAP) for Lease OCS-A 0500 (Bay State Wind) was completed, and later approved by BOEM on June 29, 2017, allowing Sunrise to install two floating light and detection ranging buoys (FLIDARs) and one metocean/current buoy.
Environmental impact statement On August 31, 2021, BOEM published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Sunrise Wind project. The NOI was then corrected on September 3, 2021, to make technical corrections and extend the comment period to October 4, 2021. The NOI initiated a 30-day public comment period during which BOEM hosted three virtual scoping meetings where the public could learn more about the Construction and Operations Plan (COP), ask questions, and provide oral testimony. During the scoping period, BOEM received 88 submissions from the public, Tribes, agencies, and other stakeholders.