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. (Orsted NA) and Eversource Investment LLC (Eversource), proposes to construct and operate the Sunrise Wind Farm (SRWF) and the Sunrise Wind Export Cable (SRWEC), collectively the Sunrise Wind Farm Project (hereinafter referred to as the Project). The wind farm portion of the Project will be in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Renewable Energy Lease Area OCS-A 0487 (Lease Area), south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and east of Montauk, New York. The Project’s generating capacity will range between 924 megawatts (MW) and 1,034 MW with power transmitted to shore on direct current (DC) submarine cables. This SRWF Avian and Bat Post-Construction Monitoring Framework (hereafter the “Framework”) focuses solely on the offshore footprint of the Project within the Lease Area, and does not apply to the offshore export cable, cable landfall, or onshore portions of the Project.
Sunrise Wind has developed this Framework to outline an approach to post-construction monitoring that supports advancement of the understanding of bird and bat interactions with offshore wind farms. The scope of monitoring is designed to meet federal requirements [30 CFR 585.626(b)(15) and 585.633(b)] and is scaled to the size and risk profile of the Project with a focus on species of conservation concern.
The intent of the Framework is to outline overarching monitoring objectives, monitoring questions, proposed monitoring elements, and reporting requirements. A detailed Avian and Bat Post-Construction Monitoring Plan (Monitoring Plan), based on this Framework, will be developed in coordination with BOEM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and other relevant regulatory agencies prior to beginning monitoring. Where feasible, monitoring conducted at the SRWF will be coordinated with monitoring at neighboring Orsted/Eversource offshore wind projects—South Fork Wind Farm (SFWF) and Revolution Wind Farm (RWF)—to facilitate integrated analyses across a broader geographic area.
Technical approaches were selected based on offshore logistical constraints, their ability to address monitoring objectives, and their effectiveness in the marine environment. Emerging technologies, such as multi-sensor radar/camera collision detection systems, are not proposed under this Framework because they have not yet been broadly deployed offshore or demonstrated to effectively reduce uncertainties related to potential impacts on birds and bats.