State Gives Go Ahead For Sunrise Wind Cable Off Smith Point County Park In Shirley

BROOKHAVEN, NY — An electric cable running from Sunrise Wind Farm to Smith Point County Park in Shirley was approved by the New York State Public Service Commission on Thursday.

Sunrise Wind will connect to the New York electricity grid through a 100-mile submarine transmission cable from offshore wind turbines, over 30 miles east of Montauk Point, to a grid connection at the Holbrook and West-Bus Substation.

The underground cable would make landfall beneath Smith Point and then would follow a route to Smith Point Marina, then William Floyd Parkway, Surrey Circle, Mastic Boulevard, Francine Place, Revilo Avenue, Victory Avenue, Horseblock Road, the Long Island Expressway South Service Road, Waverly Avenue, Long Island Avenue, and finally Union Avenue.

The cable landfall itself will be drilled horizontally up to 75-feet below the surface of the beach at Smith Point, and then exit about 2,000-feet from the shore.

Wind Farm officials expect the disturbance will be only be short-term and limited primarily to paved areas in the parking lots of Smith Point during the construction phase. Construction at both the beach and marina will be outside of the summer season, avoiding the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which will further help to minimize the impact, officials said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state "is taking bold action to address the climate crisis, and projects like Sunrise Wind demonstrate our leadership on clean energy."

"As we work to advance our nation-leading climate goals and create the jobs of the future, offshore wind projects will be critical to deliver clean energy to all New Yorkers," she added.

Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian said that projects like Sunrise Wind "will play a key role in developing clean-energy for New York State and will help New York achieve its nation-leading renewable energy goals."

In a statement to Patch, a Sunrise Wind Farm spokesperson said the project "has reached a major milestone" with the approval of the construction permit.

"The New York Public Service Commission’s approval affirms that Sunrise Wind can be built while minimizing community and environmental impacts and helping New York State achieve its vision for a 100 percent clean energy future," the statement continued, adding that the company is thankful for the state's "diligent review," which included "extensive analyses and contributions by experts across multiple state agencies, as well as input from the Long Island community, resulting in an unopposed project submission."

Sunrise Wind officials expect that once the cable is finished in 2025, the 924-megawatt project will provide "enough clean energy to power nearly 600,000 homes each year."

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called the approval "an important step in the process to bring clean, renewable power to Long Island, while also creating hundreds of jobs for New Yorkers."

"Suffolk County is eager to continue to work with New York State to ensure this critical project can be completed and the windmills can start turning," he added.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said he strongly supports Hochul's efforts for the project's development, adding that "it will bring clean, renewable energy to Long Island and create 800-plus jobs."

Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment Adrienne Esposito said the project is "an exciting giant leap forward in advancing renewable energy."