WSP USA, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy, has been named the professional engineer for the offshore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platform for Sunrise Wind Farm, the first U.S. offshore wind project that will use HVDC technology.
Sunrise Wind is owned by a partnership between Ørsted Offshore North America, a Danish multinational power company; and Eversource Energy, a New England-based energy company. Siemens Energy, in consortium with Aker Solutions, will supply the transmission system for the utility-scale 924-megawatt offshore wind farm that will provide clean energy to power more than 600,000 homes in New York State.
WSP is providing engineering services to Aker Solutions to assist in the design of the HVDC platform, ensuring that the design is compliant with applicable U.S. codes and standards.
"When Sunrise Wind begins operations, a significant amount of clean energy will reach New York residents," said Michael Drunsic, WSP USA vice president and offshore wind director. "WSP is proud to be a partner in this first-of-a-kind project in this market, contributing to an initiative that will provide safe, reliable green energy for New York and set the stage for similar U.S. efforts in the future."
Sunrise Wind is located more than 30 miles off the coast of Montauk Point State Park on Long Island. When completed and operational in 2025, it will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the U.S.
HVDC technology offers advantages over alternating current (AC) technology in electricity transmission over long distances. The technology allows for a reduction in the number of cables, improves transmission efficiency by reducing the amount of energy lost during transmission, and reduces the need for electrical equipment between offshore and onshore converter terminals. While HVDC technology is currently used in the U.S., Sunrise Wind is the first U.S. project to use HVDC to transmit offshore wind energy.
A submarine transmission cable stretching nearly 100 miles will connect the offshore energy production facility to a power grid located in Holbrook, New York.
WSP's expertise in the development of offshore wind farms includes geotechnical, civil and structural engineering; renewable generation, transmission and distribution system design; environmental and permitting services; commissioning services; and equipment and process quality assurance. "As a leader in the industry, WSP has supported more than 10 gigawatts of currently contracted project capacity in the U.S. representing more than 60 percent of the total contracted capacity," Drunsic said.
Ørsted and Eversource are investing $400 million in New York State to build Sunrise Wind. Local companies will be part of the team creating portions of the HVDC work, including the onshore converter stations, which will create jobs and provide additional offshore wind experience to the regions' workforce. Sunrise Wind is expected to provide up to 800 direct jobs during construction, as well as up to 100 permanent full-time jobs servicing the wind farm during operations.
Eversource transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to approximately 4.3 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Celebrated as a national leader for its corporate citizenship, the company is empowering a clean energy future in the Northeast, with nationally recognized energy efficiency solutions and successful programs to integrate new clean energy resources like solar, offshore wind, electric vehicles and battery storage, into the electric system.
