“Our 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,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Today, we have fully installed the first five turbines of this historic project, representing a new frontier for climate action and the clean energy revolution in the US. We look forward to working through the final technical requirements and flipping the switch to deliver these first green electrons to 30 000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts, proving that with skill, expertise, and perseverance, the dream of offshore wind in America is real.”

Once energised, the power from the first five turbines will interconnect to the New England grid in Barnstable, transmitted by underground cables that connect to a substation further inland on Cape Cod. Once completed, the project will consist of 62 wind turbines to generate 806 MW, enough to power more than 400 000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.

Before generating first power, Avangrid must complete several critical tests and technical milestones, including final testing of the array and export cables, and energisation of the offshore substation which is one of the largest built in the global offshore industry. Vineyard Wind 1 remains on track to deliver first power before the end of the year.

“The Environmental League of Massachusetts is thrilled to see this tremendous milestone and strong momentum toward delivering the first large scale offshore wind power to the New England grid,” said Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, President of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. “The Commonwealth is a leader in growing the offshore wind industry at the pace and scale necessary to address the climate crisis. Offshore wind is the single biggest lever we can pull to address the climate crisis while strengthening our regional economy, protecting ratepayers, improving public health, and creating high-quality jobs and equitable access to economic opportunity. ELM commends Avangrid and CIP for their determination in bringing Vineyard Wind 1 online and demonstrating a path forward for New England to equitably and responsibly achieve carbon neutrality.”

“It's incredibly exciting that Vineyard Wind is on the verge of generating off-shore wind power for regular people. This will forever change how we think about power production in the US, unlocking a major source of electricity in the Northeast that can be copied by other coastal regions,” added Joe Curtatone, President of the Northeast Clean Energy Council. “Avangrid deserves enormous credit for overcoming all of the barriers that stood in the way of this project. The first one is always the hardest. Now everyone gets to see that it can be done.”