Brookhaven IDA Approves Economic Incentives For Wind Farm Developers

SETAUKET, NY — Brookhaven Town's Industrial Development Agency has agreed to economic development incentives for an East Setauket facility that will house operations and maintenance for the offshore wind developers Orsted North America Inc. and Eversource Investment LLC, chairman Frederick Braun said.

The benefits, which were approved Nov. 16, 2022, will help Sunrise Wind LLC to redevelop a vacant 59,525-square-foot building on 4.5 acres on Research Way, an area with mostly medical offices, according to Braun. The closing took place on Dec. 30, 2022.

Once finished, Sunrise Wind will provide 924 megawatts of offshore wind energy, which is enough to power nearly 600,000 homes throughout the state, Braun said, adding that the facility will help support a broader portfolio of wind farms in the northeast, including South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind.

The two ventures will provide over 1.7 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy to the region, including over a gigawatt of renewable energy for the state, Braun said.

The Research Way facility will be renovated to include custom office and warehouse space to handle marine coordination, contract and site management, as well as spare parts storage, and also house members of Sunrise Wind’s permanent staff, according to Braun.

The $37.8 million East Setauket project will eventually employ 65 workers within two years of its expected completion in 2024, Braun said.

“We’re extremely pleased that Sunrise Wind is locating its operations facility in the Town of Brookhaven, playing a key role in the Town’s clean energy leadership. This project will bring new investment to the town and many good-paying jobs,” Braun said. “We are proud to work with Ørsted and Eversource on their Sunrise Wind project and look forward to seeing this new operations and maintenance facility provide critical support for the regional development of offshore wind.”

In a statement to Patch Sunrise Wind executives said the organization is pleased to reach an agreement with the IDA "that supports the locating of our Sunrise Wind Operations and Maintenance Hub in East Setauket."

The hub is part of the organization's "continued investment in New York," the organization said.

Along with the home port for Sunrise Wind's Service Operations Vessel in Port Jefferson, the hub will also support the operations of our northeast project portfolio, according to the organization.