FLIPPING THE SWITCH: VINEYARD WIND 1 PHASE 1

As federal approvals continue to open opportunities for commercial offshore wind projects, the earliest approved projects are now coming online. In early 2024, Vineyard Wind 1, located just 14 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, began sending electricity to the grid.

- KATIE NAVARRA

The site is generating 68 megawatts (MW), which powers 30,000 Massachusetts homes via five GE Haliade-X turbines.

A joint venture between Avangrid, Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through their affiliate Vineyard Offshore, construction on Vineyard Wind 1 began in late 2022, with steelin-the-water by June 2023. The project included the completion of the first offshore substation in July 2023. More than 3.3 million people are served by the eight electric and natural gas utilities owned and run by Avangrid, a part of the Iberdrola Group, in New York and New England.

Vineyard Wind 1 is the first phase of a larger project now named New England Wind, previously known as Vineyard Wind South. When the entire project is completed, more than 400,000 homes and businesses across Massachusetts will be powered by offshore turbines.

According to a statement issued by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, the total 806-megawatt project is projected to generate $1.4 billion in the cost of energy savings and reduce carbon emissions by over 1.6 million metric tons each year, an amount equal to reducing vehicle traffic by 325,000 yearly.

“The Vineyard Wind 1 project marks a monumental milestone in our nation’s journey towards sustainable energy,” says Joe Curtatone, the president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC), in a statement. “With its 806-megawatt capacity, Vineyard Wind will energize over 400,000 homes and businesses and invigorate our economy, creating thousands of jobs in the climate economy and saving customers billions in energy costs.”

“Moreover, its substantial carbon emissions reduction will leave a lasting legacy of environmental stewardship and the transformative potential of clean energy, driving us towards a brighter, greener future for generations to come,” Curtatone adds.