Abstract
This report supplements the Sunrise Wind Construction and Operations Plan.
Sunrise Wind LLC (Sunrise Wind), a 50/50 joint venture between Orsted North America Inc. and Eversource Investment LLC, proposes to construct, own, and operate the Sunrise Wind Farm Project in the designated Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0487. The Sunrise Wind Farm includes up to 95 foundations consisting of wind turbine generators (WTGs) and an Offshore Converter Station (OCS–DC), as well as Inter-Array Cables connecting the WTGs and OCS–DC. The Sunrise Wind Export Cable includes one submarine export cable bundle comprised of two cables located within an up to 104.7-mi (168.5km)-long. The WTGs will each be supported by a tapered monopile foundation (7 meter [m] top diameter, 12 m bottom diameter). The OCS–DC will be supported by a four-legged jacket foundation. The Project will also require casing pipe installation and pile driving of sheet piles (referred to as goal posts) to support horizontal directional drilling (HDD) activities in New York state waters.
Underwater noise associated with the construction of offshore components of the Sunrise Wind Farm will predominantly result from impact pile driving for the monopile and jacket foundations. Underwater noise associated with the construction of the Sunrise Wind Export Cable will primarily result from impact pile driving for the casing pipe and vibratory pile driving of the goal posts needed for the Landfall HDD construction. A quantitative assessment of the sounds produced by pile driving was undertaken in this study.