Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) have announced that power from Vineyard Wind was delivered to the New England grid for the first time.
As part of the initial commissioning process on Jan. 2, one turbine delivered approximately 5 MW, with additional testing expected to happen both on and offshore in the coming weeks.
“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,” says 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.”
Power from the projects interconnects to the New England grid in Barnstable, Mass., transmitted by underground cables that connect to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. Once completed, the project will consist of 62 wind turbines generating 806 MW.
Vineyard Wind 1 is jointly owned by Avangrid and CIP. The project is being developed and constructed by Avangrid and Vineyard Offshore, CIP’s affiliate 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.
The project expects to have five turbines operating at full capacity early this year.
