A symbolic milestone: first Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind turbine installed

The GE Haliade-X wind turbine is the first of 62 turbines that will be installed by Avangrid and CIP, the developers of Vineyard Wind 1, the first commercial-scale offshore windfarm in the US.

The project will generate 806 MW, enough to power more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.

Avangrid chief executive Perdo Azagra described the milestone as “a monumental achievement” and a proud day for offshore wind in the US “that proves this industry is real.”

CIP partner and head of North America Tim Evans said installation of the turbine “is a monument to the hard work and belief in our construction and project teams, and countless partners in our neighbouring communities.”

Mr Evans said Vineyard Wind “is the future of American offshore wind, and it’s a future full of clean, sustainable energy and tremendous potential for job creation and reducing carbon pollution.” He said offshore wind continues to be a cornerstone in CIP’s investment strategy, with the US market playing a central role.

GE Vernova offshore wind chief executive Jan Kjaersgaard said having the first offshore wind turbine in the water for the first commercial offshore windfarm in the US “is an important symbolic milestone.”

Vineyard Wind began offshore construction in late 2022, achieved steel-in-the-water in June 2023, and completed the first offshore substation in US waters in July. Construction flows through the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. In July 2021, Vineyard Wind signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind project in the US, which outlined the creation of 500 union jobs though the project.