Vineyard Wind 1 establishes itself as the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S.

The Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, developed by Avangrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), has established itself as the largest offshore wind farm in operation in the United States, with the recent activation of 10 turbines providing 136 MW of power capacity for the country.

Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm

With the start of production of these 10 GE Haliade-X turbines, Avangrid has added more than 136 MW to the Massachusetts power grid, providing enough renewable electricity to power 64,000 local homes and businesses.

Currently, Vineyard Wind 1 has installed 47 foundations and transition pieces, along with 21 turbines, each with a rated capacity of 13 MW, which it has managed to increase to 13.6 MW, by way of a technical adjustment, as a power booster.

This project is located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, and will soon become the largest renewable energy facility in New England, reaching its full capacity of 806 MW. Enough electricity to supply the city, and 400,000 homes as well as business sectors.

“Our Vineyard Wind 1 project continues to demonstrate the significant benefits of offshore wind energy for the New England region, generating good-paying jobs, local investment and clean energy that helps meet the growing demand for electricity in Massachusetts.”

Pedro Azagra, Avangrid’s Chief Executive Officer

Turbine installation in the project

In February 2024, Vineyard Wind began supplying approximately 68 MW from five turbines to the grid. Now, based on the current 136 MW in operation, it is expected that additional power will be added to the grid sequentially, with each turbine coming on line after completing its commissioning process.

The power generated by the project is connected to the New England grid in Barnstable via subway cables that link to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. Once completed, the project will have a total of 62 wind turbines.

Vineyard Wind 1 turbines in operation. Source: Iberdrola

Construction of the wind farm began in late 2022, with the first steel in the water placed in June 2023 and completion of the country’s first substation in July 2023. And today, construction is still underway, through the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.

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Source and photo: Iberdrola