New York Leaders Celebrate Sunrise Wind Construction at Port of Coeymans Assembly Hub

PORT OF COEYMANS, N.Y., September 12, 2024 – New York state and local leaders joined Ørsted today at its Port of Coeymans assembly hub to celebrate the significant progress on Sunrise Wind’s construction and the key role union workers are playing building New York’s largest offshore wind project.

Standing alongside union workers and local suppliers, environmental advocates, and community supporters, Ørsted announced that more than half of the advanced foundation components for Sunrise Wind’s offshore turbines are now complete, as the project gears up for offshore construction in 2025.

The work underway to construct these large turbine foundation components for Sunrise Wind represents a more than $86 million investment by Ørsted into New York’s growing offshore wind supply chain. This work is creating more than 230 jobs in areas such as construction and steel manufacturing, from the Capital Region to Western New York, and comes on top of Ørsted’s significant investments in offshore wind jobs and training on Long Island.

“On behalf of NYSERDA, I congratulate Ørsted and Sunrise Wind on this construction milepost which is critical to expanding offshore wind in our state and delivering clean energy to all New Yorkers,” said Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. “Today we celebrate the transformation of the Port of Coeymans which is now among the first ports in the country to be mobilized for the construction of advanced foundation components for an offshore wind farm by U.S. workers.”

Ørsted is leading the buildout of the American offshore wind industry with a focus on its growing hub in the Northeast, which includes ports, vessels, a trained workforce, a growing supply chain and much more. Sunrise Wind is a key part of Ørsted’s plan to invest $20 billion by 2030 building up America’s clean energy industry and supply chain.

“The Port of Coeymans is a perfect example of what offshore wind brings to New York: more than 120 union workers are here constructing a project that will deliver clean energy to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the state,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “Sunrise Wind is an American clean energy project by New Yorkers, for New Yorkers. We look forward to building Sunrise Wind and future projects as we continue to invest in New York’s union-led offshore wind supply chain and workforce.”

The 924-megawatt Sunrise Wind project is creating 800 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in the state and will power nearly 600,000 New York homes and businesses. Sunrise Wind builds on the success of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm – New York’s South Fork Wind – and will help New York achieve its mandate of 70 percent renewable energy by 2030. The 130-megawatt South Fork Wind began operations in March 2024 and is powering 70,000 homes from its 12 Siemens Gamesa turbines.

Ørsted selected Riggs Distler & Company, a Centuri Company and leading union construction solutions firm with offices in Mt. Vernon and Saugerties, New York, to serve as the general contractor to build the prefabricated components at the Port of Coeymans. Once complete, the components will be shipped down the Hudson River and out to the Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm site, located in federal waters roughly 30 miles east of Montauk. N.Y.

“Riggs Distler is proud to deliver solutions for America's offshore wind industry," said Stephen M. Zemaitatis Jr., President and CEO of Riggs Distler. "We take immense pride in the work we've accomplished on South Fork Wind and are honored to continue our efforts in the Empire State for Ørsted on the Sunrise Wind project. The work we are doing strengthens our nation’s energy independence and economic prosperity while ensuring a sustainable future for generations.”

These advanced turbine foundation components, ranging in size from 12 to 120 tons each and as tall as 40 feet, include the foundations' internal and external platforms, railings, anode cages, and other key parts that will attach to the monopile foundations that the wind turbine generators will be installed upon.

The construction at the Port of Coeymans is covered by a Project Labor Agreement with the Greater Capital Region Building and Construction Trades Council, with more than 120 skilled tradespeople from local unions contributing to the construction of these advanced foundation components. These include members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local Union 291, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 236, Ironworkers Local Union 12, Laborers Local Union 190, Operating Engineers Local Union 158, and Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Local Union 780.

"Today we saw firsthand the incredible transformation of the Port of Coeymans – a transformation made possible by Sunrise Wind and Ørsted’s partnership with union labor and local suppliers," said Michael Lyons, President, Greater Capital Region Building and Construction Trades Council. "Offshore wind is about more than clean energy – it's about people. And thanks to Ørsted's investments in our state, Sunrise Wind is creating new opportunities for union workers across New York building a clean energy future, and I look forward to its continued progress."

In addition to the direct economic impact at the Port of Coeymans, Ørsted's partnership with Riggs Distler is creating opportunities for companies and workers across New York. LJUNGSTRӦM LLC, of Wellsville, in Alleghany County, New York, manufactured the steel components in Western New York. Additional New York suppliers, from concrete suppliers to facility managers, are supporting the foundation components scope for Sunrise Wind.

In July, Ørsted broke ground on the onshore, underground transmission system that will connect Sunrise Wind to Long Island’s electric grid. Sunrise Wind’s onshore construction scope is creating more than 400 union jobs on Long Island, led by local contractor Haugland Energy Group.

“New York’s investments in the next generation of renewable energy and wind power is paying dividends for the Capital Region,” said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (D—Albany). “Sunrise Wind is bringing good-paying clean energy jobs home to the Capital Region, and it's great to see the future of our clean energy economy beginning at the Port of Coeymans. Capital Region workers are building the economy of tomorrow as we confront the transcendent threat of our time; climate change. I’m looking forward to seeing even more investment here in our area as a result of the state’s continued commitment to meeting our ambitious CLCPA mandates.”

"Our region has always been an energy leader, and projects like Sunrise Wind are cementing that legacy and positioning us to lead the next generation of clean energy development," said New York State Assemblymember John T. McDonald III. "I'm grateful for Ørsted's partnership and commitment to hiring locally, and I'm excited to see Sunrise Wind continue to move forward."

"This partnership between Ørsted and the Port of Coeymans shows that the offshore wind benefits go far beyond those who will use its power,” said Alliance for Clean Energy New York Executive Director Marguerite Wells. “New York has held firm to its commitment to developing a domestic supply chain against a tough economic climate. The progress we saw today shows that the dream is possible and worth committing to."

"Another great day for the offshore wind industry! Congratulations to Ørsted and the Port of Coeymans on the incredible progress they are making right here in the Capital Region,” said New York Offshore Wind Alliance Director Alicia Gené Artessa. “The advanced foundation components for New York’s Sunrise Wind project are being manufactured in Ravena, N.Y. and will be installed offshore in 2025. NYOWA had the pleasure of joining a tour at the Port and it is inspiring to see the magnitude of these component parts and the workforce in action."

Said Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters:
"After months of impressive on-the-ground progress for New York’s offshore wind industry, we are thrilled to see the momentum continue as the state marches toward a future with fewer emissions, cleaner air, and a steady pipeline of well-paying union jobs like the ones building advanced foundation components right here in the Port of Coeymans. We congratulate Ørsted along with Riggs Distler & Company on their tremendous progress, and we commend Governor Hochul for turning the state’s climate plans into climate action."


About Ørsted
A global clean energy leader, Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and land-based wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted was the first energy company in the world to have its science-based net-zero emissions target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is recognized as the world’s most sustainable energy developer in the Corporate Knights Global 100 index.

In the United States, the company has approximately 700 employees and a portfolio of clean energy assets and partnerships that includes offshore wind energy, land-based wind energy, solar, battery storage and e-fuels. Ørsted is a U.S. leader in offshore wind energy with approximately 3 gigawatts in development and operates America’s first offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Block Island, and the country’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind. Ørsted has a total U.S. land-based capacity of 5 gigawatts across wind, solar, storage technologies and e-fuels. To learn more about the Ørsted U.S. business, visit us.orsted.com or follow the company on X (@OrstedUS), Instagram, and Facebook.


Media Contact
Meaghan Wims
mwims@duffyshanley.com
401-261-1641