Avangrid has installed the first five GE Haliade-X turbines for Vineyard Wind 1, as initial power from the project is being prepared for delivery to the Massachusetts electric grid.
Expected to be energized in the coming weeks, Vineyard Wind 1 is set to deliver approximately 65 MW of energy from the currently installed turbines. The project, located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, is expected to generate 806 MW when fully operational, says the company.
“Our team has worked tremendously hard, through nights, weekends, and holidays to put us in the position to deliver the first power from Avangrid’s nation-leading Vineyard Wind 1 project before the end of the year,” says Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Today, we have fully installed the first five turbines of this historic project, representing a new frontier for climate action and the clean energy revolution in the United States.”
Once energized, the power from the first five turbines will interconnect to the New England grid in Barnstable, transmitted by underground cables that connect to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. At completion, the project will consist of 62 wind turbines.
“The commonwealth is a leader in growing the offshore wind industry at the pace and scale necessary to address the climate crisis,” says Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
“Offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis while strengthening our regional economy, protecting ratepayers, improving public health, and creating high-quality jobs and equitable access to economic opportunity. ELM commends Avangrid and CIP for their determination in bringing Vineyard Wind 1 online and demonstrating a path forward for New England to equitably and responsibly achieve carbon neutrality.”
Avangrid is a member of the Iberdrola Group.
