NEW BEDFORD — Vineyard Wind now has five turbines sending about 68 megawatts of power to the Massachusetts grid, Gov. Maura Healey announced Thursday. It comes nearly two months after the project delivered its first power (roughly 5 megawatts) to the grid.
The five turbines, when operating at full capacity, provide enough energy to power 30,000 homes in Massachusetts, per Healey’s office. It’s a major milestone for the project, which received final federal approval in 2021 after several delays.
“After many decades of advocacy, research, policymaking, and finally construction, America’s offshore wind industry has gone from a dream to reality,” said Gov. Healey in a statement. “When you turn on the light, you will now be using clean, affordable energy. This will make the air we breathe safer and healthier, save customers money, and bring us one step closer to achieving net-zero emissions.”
The project has fully installed nine of its 62 turbines, and is in the process of installing its 10th. Additional power will be delivered after each turbine undergoes testing before operating.
The project 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard was slated to be the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, but a 12-turbine project, South Fork Wind, located south of Long Island, New York, came online with first power about one month earlier.
“With a surge of clean power from Vineyard Wind to the Massachusetts grid,
we’ve entered a new era of energy production in the US,” said Klaus S. Moeller, CEO of Vineyard Wind, in a statement.
Though operating with the slogan “Forever First,” Vineyard Wind’s construction is still trailing behind that for the smaller South Fork Wind project, which shipped out its final turbine this week from New London, Connecticut.
Vineyard Wind in September started installing its 13-megawatt General Electric turbines, which tower hundreds of feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout this construction phase, transits of barges or vessels carrying the major turbine components to or from the Port of New Bedford have been delayed or canceled due to weather conditions.
New Bedford has served as the key site for staging and partial construction of the turbine components, which for months have been arriving from Portugal, Canada and France.
“With the benefit of a robust partnership with the Healey-Driscoll Administration, New Bedford is leading the way,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell in a statement.
As of January, 47 monopiles — which serve as the turbine foundations — have been installed. Vineyard Wind is not permitted to resume pile driving for the remaining foundations until at least May under an agreement with NOAA Fisheries.
“Powering up these first turbines stands apart as an exceptional achievement for Avangrid, Massachusetts, and the nation,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra in a statement. The project is jointly owned by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
“Each rotation of the blades, and every megawatt flowing to homes across Massachusetts, is a testament to the years of perseverance and partnership that have defined this trailblazing project,” Azagra said.
Vineyard Wind is expected to generate electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts, and reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year.
The power travels through the subsea cables some 40 miles north — past Martha’s Vineyard — to land underneath Covell’s Beach in Barnstable.
Next month, bids are due for Massachusetts’ fourth round of offshore wind solicitations. Unlike past rounds, this round may involve collaboration between Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Late last year, officials announced a multi-state procurement for offshore wind projects. The goal is to leverage the states’ buying power, lower project costs, and reduce risk for the wind industry, which in recent months has canceled contracts amid inflation and supply chain challenges.
As the project continues to come online, the fishing industry’s concerns remain.
Vineyard Wind, through an agreement with Massachusetts, established a $19 million fund to compensate for or mitigate direct or indirect impacts from the project on the state’s commercial fishing industry. Disbursements from this fund will be overseen by a third-party administrator.
Per Vineyard Wind, the program is set to launch on March 4. Information about the program, including how to apply, will be available on the program’s website, www.vw1fisheriescomp.com.
An open house about the Vineyard Wind compensation program is scheduled in New Bedford on March 21 at the Port Authority’s office from 9 a.m. to 1 pm.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
It’s unfortunate that America does not have the technology/skills to build these wind turbines
Note this date and article well, I predict in approx 5-10 years the chickens of this boondoggle will come home to roost for Massachusetts residents and rate payers. Read the following article and see if you can tell WHO these projects are planned to benefit,
” By Josh Saul (Bloomberg) —
The head of Danish energy giant Orsted A/S says the US is an attractive place to build new offshore wind farms even after inflationary shocks devastated the sector over the past year. The reason: the newest deals to sell electricity include crucial provisions that increase the price of power if inflation goes up.
“When US states choose to offer inflation protection, that increases the attractiveness of the US,” Orsted A/S Chief Executive Officer Mads Nipper said in an interview Wednesday.
It’s a different approach after pandemic-era inflation spikes and supply-chain disruptions rendered many US offshore wind projects unprofitable, which roiled the industry. Now states including New York and New Jersey are negotiating electricity contracts that stipulate prices rising alongside the consumer price index and other inflation indices, he said.
Nipper said such provisions would also protect developers if a Republican president managed to slow down the permitting process. ”
ITS a club and regular citizens aint in it
All pricing is adjusted for inflation.
The value of a house does not go up, just the price in current dollars.
LEFTIST WIND POWER BOONDOGGLE ” Josh Saul (Bloomberg),Danish energy giant Orsted A/S US is an attractive place for offshore wind, newest deals increase the price of power if inflation goes up. Mads Nipper said they also protect them if a Republican president slows down permitting
All pricing is adjusted for inflation.
The value of a house does not go up, just the price in current dollars.
https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blog/list?user=04jowjqqnjxrp