The US’s first large-scale offshore wind farm just missed its first power delivery deadline [update]

Vineyard Wind 1 was supposed to deliver its first power to the Massachusetts grid by December 31 – but it didn’t.

January 3: It’s finally game on! Vineyard Wind 1 came online late yesterday. One wind turbine near Martha’s Vineyard delivered around 5 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the grid. Five of Vineyard Wind 1’s turbines are anticipated to be operating at full capacity in early 2024.

January 2: Vineyard Wind 1 is a 50/50 joint venture between Avangrid and green investors Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

On December 6, Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said that its “team has worked tremendously hard, through nights, weekends, and holidays to put us in the position to deliver the first power from Avangrid’s nation-leading Vineyard Wind 1 project before the end of the year.” And it reiterated that deadline in a public newsletter on December 27.

But an Avangrid spokesperson said this morning (via the Worcester Business Journal) that “the first of the project’s 62 turbines generated power Sunday evening but that more testing was required before any wind power could be transmitted to the grid. The spokesman gave no new specific timeline for the delivery of first power.”

The spokesperson continued:

We are currently working through all the required tests, both internal processes and with ISO New England, and synchronizing all components to deliver power to shore soon.

Once online, Vineyard Wind 1’s first five GE Haliade-X turbines, which are installed, will deliver around 65 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, enough to power 30,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. 

Each 13 MW turbine has a 220-meter (722-foot) rotor, 107-meter (351-foot) blades, and is 248 meters (814 feet) tall. Each is capable of providing power to more than 6,000 homes and businesses.

When completed, the 806 MW Vineyard Wind 1 will consist of 62 turbines that will generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses.

The $3.5 billion Vineyard Wind 1 is 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and 35 miles from mainland Massachusetts.

It’s expected to reach its full power potential by mid-2024 – we’ll see.

Read more: The world’s single-largest wind farm gets the green light

Photo: Vineyard Wind 1

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