Vineyard Wind 1
Country
  • United States
LocationOCS-A 0501 Lease Area
Outer Continental Shelf
Offshore Massachusetts
Coordinates41°02′00″N 70°37′00″W / 41.03325°N 70.61667°W / 41.03325; -70.61667
Construction beganNovember 18, 2021 (2021-11-18)
Construction cost$2.3–2.8 billion[1][2]
Owner(s)
Wind farm
Type
Distance from shore15 miles (24 km)
Rotor diameter
  • 220 m (720 ft)
Power purchase agreement$0.09 / kWh for 20 years
Power generation
Make and modelGE Haliade-X 13 MW
Units planned62 × 13 MW
Nameplate capacity
  • 804 MW
External links
Websitewww.vineyardwind.com

Vineyard Wind 1 is an offshore wind farm under construction in U.S. federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management-designated Lease Area OCS-A 0520, about 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. The array will include 62 wind turbines manufactured by GE Offshore Wind with a nameplate capacity of 804 MW combined, equivalent to the annual power use of 400,000 homes.[2][3][4] The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the project in 2019.[5] Construction began on November 18, 2021.[6] In October 2023, the first of the project's 62 turbines was installed.[7]

Project

The project is jointly owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Iberdrola, through a subsidiary of Avangrid Renewables.[8][9] GE Offshore Wind (a subsidiary of GE Wind Energy based in Europe) will supply the 62 turbines.[10] Windar Renovables will build the foundations. Nexans Group & Prysmian Group will provide cabling.[11]

Two independent submarine power cables will run from an offshore 220 kV transformer about 15 miles south of the southeast corner of Martha's Vineyard to Covell's Beach in Centerville in Barnstable on Cape Cod about 34 miles (some 55 km) away, where via land they will connect to the electrical grid[12] of ISO New England next to an existing Eversource substation.[13]

The New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal has been used as a staging area for the project.[14][15][16][17] DEME will handle some construction and installation logistics. The vessels used must comply with the Jones Act,[18] so feeder barges will transport components from port to site.[19] Salem Harbor has also been developed as an offshore wind port in conjunction with the project.[20]

A final environmental impact statement (FEIS) was released in March 2021.[21] Approval was delayed during the term of U.S. president Donald Trump, due to concerns regarding fishing and safety. The permission was fast-tracked after Joe Biden took office.[22] Final major federal approval was granted on May 11, 2021.[23]

A total of $2.3 billion in project funding was secured in October 2021. The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance representing fishing interests filed a federal lawsuit several months later disputing the approval,[22] and a group of Nantucket residents did so in January 2023.[24] Solar competitor Allco Renewable Energy also filed suit.[25] Construction proceeded despite the lawsuits.

Electricity from the first turbines is expected to start flowing by the end of 2023, with the final turbines installed in 2024.[26][27]

The developers have agreed to suspend construction during right whale activity in the area,[28] and University of New Hampshire monitors marine mammal sounds.[29] The project is expected to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce electricity costs for Massachusetts consumers.[30] The wind farm has secured 20-year contracts to sell the power it produces for a fixed 20-year price of $0.09/kWh and has agreed to provide a total of $15 million for a fund to provide battery storage in low-income communities.[31]

Overview

Wind farm Offshore BOEM wind energy lease area States Coordinates Capacity
(MW)		 Projected completion Turbines Developer/Utility Regulatory agency Refs
Vineyard WindOffshore Massachusetts
OCS-A 0501[32][33]		13 nautical miles -15 miles (24 km) southwest of Martha's Vineyard (MA)166,886 acres (67,536 ha)MA41°02′00″N 70°37′00″W / 41.03325°N 70.61667°W / 41.03325; -70.61667804202362 13.6MW GE Haliade-XAvangrid
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners		BOEM
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities		[34][35][36][37]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Richard, Craig (September 15, 2021). "Avangrid and CIP reach financial close on $2.3bn Vineyard Wind 1 offshore project". www.windpowermonthly.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Davenport, Coral; Friedman, Lisa (May 11, 2021). "Biden Administration Approves Nation's First Major Offshore Wind Farm". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Farm - Consent Authorised - United States | 4C Offshore". www.4coffshore.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Vineyard Wind Draft Construction and Operations Plan - Volume 1" (PDF). www.boem.gov. September 30, 2020. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Department of Public Utilities Approves Offshore Wind Energy Contracts | Mass.gov". www.mass.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  6. ↑ Frangoul, Anmar (November 19, 2021). "Construction starts at America's first major offshore wind farm". CNBC.
  7. ↑ Frangoul, Anmar (October 19, 2023). "America's first major offshore wind farm installs first of 62 huge turbines from GE unit". CNBC. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Vineyard Wind 1, our first offshore wind farm in the United States". Iberdrola. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  9. ↑ Geuss, Megan (April 24, 2019). "Massachusetts offshore wind project gets green light at roughly 8.9 cents/kWh". Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.]
  10. ↑ "Vineyard Wind Selects GE Renewable Energy As Preferred Turbine Supplier For America's First Utility Scale Offshore Wind Project". Vineyard Wind. December 2020. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Vineyard Wind 1, our first offshore wind farm in the United States". Iberdrola. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Gellerman, Bruce (January 19, 2021). "Offshore Wind Backers Hope Vineyard Wind Permitting Woes Will End Under Biden". WBUR. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ Vineyard Wind 1 Overview
  14. ↑ "After Years Of Uncertainty, Expected Decision On Vineyard Wind Could Launch New Industry". www.wbur.org. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  15. ↑ "New Bedford inks lease for Vineyard Wind project". www.ajot.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ "DEME Offshore to install Vineyard Wind 1 turbines". www.offshore-mag.com. April 2, 2021. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Federal funding to support offshore wind staging for the Port of New Bedford". Windpower Engineering & Development.
  18. ↑ Mercure, Matthew (March 31, 2021). "Vineyard Wind Selects Contractor for Transport, Installation of Turbines | North American Windpower". nawindpower.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  19. ↑ "DEME and Barge Master Develop Feeder Solution for US Offshore Wind Projects". Offshore Wind. May 5, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Vineyard Wind, Crowley and Salem to transform harbor into offshore wind port". www.offshore-mag.com. September 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Vineyard Wind 1 One Step Away from Entering Construction". Offshore Wind. March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
  22. 1 2 U.S. fishing group sues Biden administration over offshore wind project
  23. ↑ "Biden administration grants Vineyard Wind its final major permit". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ Vineyard Wind opponents ask federal judge to halt project over environmental concerns
  25. ↑ "Solar co sues feds over offshore Vineyard Wind farm approval". Reuters. July 19, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023.
  26. ↑ Checking in on Vineyard Wind, country's first large offshore wind project in Mass.
  27. ↑ Reed, Stanley; Penn, Ivan (June 27, 2023). "A Giant Wind Farm Is Taking Root Off Massachusetts". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  28. ↑ Ltd, Renews (January 23, 2019). "Vineyard Wind commits to whale protection". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Vineyard Wind to monitor marine mammal sounds". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. April 20, 2022.
  30. ↑ Chesto, Jon (August 13, 2018). "Vineyard Wind has a big selling point for its power: cheaper prices". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  31. ↑ Gheorghiu, Iulia (April 24, 2019). "Massachusetts approves state's first offshore wind contracts for 800 MW". UtilityDive. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021. The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) deemed that the contracts, averaging 8.9 cents/kWh between the two separate phases of the project, are cost-effective and in the public interest. Vineyard Wind also committed to provide $15 million over 15 years to help integrate battery storage in low-income communities.
  32. ↑ "Massachusetts Leases OCS-A 0500 (Bay State Wind) And OCS-A 0501 (Vineyard Wind) ; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management". Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Commercial Leases OCS-A 0520, 0521, And 0522; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management". Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Vineyard Wind - Offshore Wind Farm Project | 4C Offshore". www.4coffshore.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Vineyard Wind". Vineyard Wind. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Two big wind farms to rise off coast of Martha's Vineyard". Boston Globe. May 23, 2018. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Vineyard Wind: delayed project reveals bluster in US's offshore wind ambitions". December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
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