Work is moving along on the installation of the cable that will connect the mainland to the Sunrise Wind turbines off Montauk.
Trenchers are heading down William Floyd Parkway to Smith Point, where the 124-mile cable will make landfall. It will connect to a utility substation in Holtsville, where the wind energy will be distributed to 600,000 homes.
While the total estimated cost of the project is not being disclosed by its developer, the Danish corporation Ørsted, it promises to generate $700 million in economic benefits to the region, including $170 million to Brookhaven Town and Suffolk County for hosting the 17-mile leg of the landward line.
Workers are installing an eight-inch sleeve to protect the cable, along with conduits for communication lines. Next on the to-do list is passing the lines under Moriches Bay to connect to Fire Island. The contractor, Haugland Group, has set up a base at the Shirley Marina to barge construction equipment to the barrier beach that is too heavy to pass over the Smith Point Bridge.
State officials, who herald the project as part of their nation-leading green energy initiative, assert that it will only add $1-$2 to the average electric bill. The Sunrise Wind effort will see the construction of 86 turbines 30 miles off Long Island’s southern tip and include a $37 million headquarters in East Setauket, a $5 million Research and Development Partnership with Stony Brook University, a $10 million National Wind Training Center in Brentwood, and a new Service Operations Vessel, the 262-foot Eco Edison, to be docked at Port Jefferson.