Vineyard Wind delivers first offshore power to New England

Power from the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project was delivered to the New England grid for the first time. At 11:52 pm on Tuesday, one turbine delivered approximately 5 MW of power, with additional testing expected to happen both on and offshore in the coming weeks. The project expects to have five turbines operating at full capacity early in 2024.

“This is a historic moment for the American offshore wind industry,” said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey. “Soon, Vineyard Wind will be producing power equivalent to over 400,000 Massachusetts households. This is clean, affordable energy made possible by the many advocates, public servants, union workers and business leaders who worked for decades to accomplish this achievement. As we look ahead, Massachusetts is on a path toward energy independence thanks to our nation-leading work to stand up the offshore wind industry.”

Power from the project interconnects to the New England grid in Barnstable, transmitted by underground cables that connect to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. Once completed, the project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard will be composed of of 62 wind turbines generating 806 MW.

Vineyard Wind 1 is jointly owned by renewables investor Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and developer Avangrid Renewables. The project is being developed and constructed by Avangrid and Vineyard Offshore, CIP’s affiliated development company working on U.S. offshore projects. In August 2022, Avangrid signed an agreement to assume responsibility as the operations and maintenance services provider for Vineyard Wind 1 once the project achieves commercial operations.

“2023 was a historic year defined by steel in the water and people at work. Today, we begin a new chapter and welcome 2024 by delivering the first clean offshore wind power to the grid in Massachusetts,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “We’ve arrived at a watershed moment for climate action in the U.S., and a dawn for the American offshore wind industry. As we build on this tremendous progress and work to deliver the full capacity of this historic project, we continue to stand proudly with all the partners that made this achievement possible, including the Biden Administration and the Healey-Driscoll Administration.”

From the outset of this project, Vineyard Wind recognized the importance of building and supporting a workforce of local, highly skilled, and diverse tradespeople. The valuable collaboration with union leadership on this project is a prime example of how this new industry can be a responsive member of the communities it serves, ensuring accessible and family-sustaining careers.

“This truly is a milestone for offshore wind and the entire renewable industry in North America. For the first time we have power flowing to the American consumers from a commercial-scale wind project, which marks the dawn of a new era for American renewables and the green transition,” said Tim Evans, partner at CIP, and head of North America. “By delivering first power, we have broken new ground and shown a viable path forward with power that is renewable, locally produced and affordable. Much of the credit for this milestone must go to our local partners, labor leaders and the project’s skilled union workforce, and local communities from New Bedford to Barnstable.”

Vineyard Wind began offshore construction in late 2022, achieved steel-in-the-water in June, and completed the nation’s first offshore substation in July. Construction flows through the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. In July 2021, Vineyard Wind signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind project in the United States, which outlined the creation of 500 union jobs through the project. On December 14, 2023, project shareholders announced that Vineyard Wind 1 has delivered nearly double of its commitment through the PLA by creating 937 union jobs through two years of construction.

News item from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Filed Under: News, Offshore wind, Projects