Offshore

First commercial-scale U.S. offshore wind project celebrates groundbreaking

First commercial-scale U.S. offshore wind project celebrates groundbreaking
Vineyard Wind 1, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S., celebrated its groundbreaking in Barnstable, Massachusetts on Nov. 18, 2021. (Courtesy: Vineyard Wind US)

Vineyard Wind 1, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S., celebrated its groundbreaking in Barnstable, Massachusetts on Thursday.

The project, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, will ultimately be able to generate 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 400,000 homes with clean energy. 

The first steps of construction on the project, which will ultimately generate enough clean energy to power over 400,000 homes. The project is expected to begin delivering power to the grid in 2023.

“Vineyard Wind 1 represents a historic milestone for advancing our nation’s clean energy production. This project and others across the country will create robust and sustainable economies that lift up communities and support good-paying jobs, while also ensuring future generations have a livable planet,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Haaland. “The Interior Department is committed to responsibly accelerating our nation’s transition to a clean energy future, and doing so in coordination with our partners, stakeholders, Tribes and ocean users to avoid and reduce potential impacts as much as we can.”

The project closed on $2.3 billion of senior debt financing in September. Vineyard Wind 1 will use GE’s Haliade-X wind turbine generators, the most powerful in operation to date.  With this selection, GE Renewable Energy is poised to play a pivotal role in the development of offshore wind power in the U.S., which will be a major source of investments and job creation up and down the supply chain in communities across the region. 

The Biden administration has a goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. Last month, the administration announced plans to explore commercial offshore wind development in new areas off the Carolinas and the Gulf Coast.

"Our administration is proud to have worked with Vineyard Wind and a wide range of partners to help make Massachusetts a national leader in advancing clean, offshore wind energy development," Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker wrote on Twitter.

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