"Saipem's colossal vessel, the Saipem 7000, is on its way to set up monopiles at a fresh U.S. offshore wind farm. The journey marks the initial installation of monopiles at this specific site."

Ørsted Announces Major Investment in Solo Construction of Sunrise Wind Project

Ørsted, a leading renewable energy company, has recently announced a significant investment in the construction of the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project, which the company will be building alone. The project's offshore substation is set to be installed soon, with the monopile installation already underway.

The investment will be funded through a rights issue, most of which will be allocated to the construction of Sunrise Wind. The Danish state has committed as a major subscriber in the rights issue, demonstrating the project's importance in the transition towards a greener energy future.

Originally a partner with Eversource on the project, Ørsted is now building Sunrise Wind alone. As per its usual business model, Ørsted cannot partially divest at this time.

The Sunrise Wind project, located approximately 30 miles (48 kilometres) east of Montauk, New York, will consist of 84 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW wind turbines. The first wind turbine foundations have already been installed in US federal waters off the coast of New York, with more than 13 foundations now in place.

The wind farm will connect to the state's electricity grid at the Holbrook substation in Brookhaven, Suffolk County. The installation of wind turbines at Sunrise Wind is expected to start once all turbines are in place at Revolution Wind, another Ørsted project located nearby.

A notable feature of the Sunrise Wind project is its use of a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) system, making it the first Ørsted project in the US to employ this technology.

The offshore substation for the Sunrise Wind project will be installed by Saipem's heavy lift installation vessel Saipem 7000. The vessel is currently crossing the Atlantic on its way from Europe to North America, ready to install the offshore substation once it arrives.

Riggs Distler & Company is delivering the monopile foundations for Sunrise Wind and is the general contractor to build the prefabricated components at the Port of Coeymans. The monopile foundations for the Sunrise Wind Offshore Windfarm are associated with a partnership involving Pict Offshore and Sif, a leading monopile foundation supplier, with production starting at Pict’s Inverkeithing facility in Scotland in late 2022.

The project is on track to be commissioned in the second half of 2027, marking a significant step forward in the US's renewable energy transition. With the first wind turbines expected to be in place in early 2026, the Sunrise Wind project is set to contribute substantially to the country's renewable energy capacity.