First Vineyard Wind turbines installed off Martha's Vineyard, will soon deliver power to Massachusetts
BOSTON - The first five wind turbines of the Vineyard Wind 1 project have been installed 15 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
The five turbines are expected to generate 65 Megawatts of clean energy to Massachusetts. They will be able to power roughly 30,000 homes and businesses.
Construction of the GE Haliade-X turbines began in late 2022, and they are the beginning of the first large scale offshore wind project in the United States according to Avidgrid.
"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," Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said in a statement Friday.
The turbines must complete several tests and milestones before being able to generate power, but the company said that they expect the turbines to deliver power before the end of the year.
"The Commonwealth is a leader in growing the offshore wind industry at the pace and scale necessary to address the climate crisis. 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," President of the Environmental League of Massachusetts Elizabeth Turnbull Henry said in a statement.
Once its fully complete, the Vineyard Wind 1 project is expected to have 62 wind turbines, delivering 806 Megawatts of clean energy and power to about 400,000 homes and businesses in the state.
Avidgrid says that the project is expected to save Massachusetts residents $1.4 billion over the first 20 years, and reduce carbon emissions by 1 million metric tons, roughly the same as taking 325,000 cars off the road.