AFTER YEARS of fits and starts, energy generated by offshore wind was delivered onto the grid that powers Massachusetts late Tuesday night.
One turbine of the Vineyard Wind 1 project delivered approximately five megawatts of power at 11:52 p.m. Tuesday, project co-owners Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners announced Wednesday morning.
Eventually, the wind farm about 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard is expected to have 62 turbines capable of generating just more than 800 MW of power.
Project developers said the first megawatts transmitted to the grid came “as part of the initial commissioning process” and said there is “additional testing expected to happen both on and offshore in the coming weeks.”
Vineyard Wind 1 expects it will have five of its 62 turbines operating at full capacity “early in 2024.” Each turbine is capable of generating 13 MW of power.
On Tuesday, after missing its self-imposed target of delivering first power by the end of 2023, a project spokesman clarified the timeline a top official gave last year for full commercial operations. The full 806 MW wind farm is now expected to be fully operational “in 2024” opposed to the more specific “mid-2024” target shared in August.
Gov. Maura Healey called Wednesday’s announcement “a historic moment for the American offshore wind industry.”
“Soon, Vineyard Wind will be producing power equivalent of over 400,000 Massachusetts households,” she said. “As we look ahead, Massachusetts is on a path toward energy independence thanks to our nation-leading work to stand up the offshore wind industry.”
Massachusetts now is the second state in the country, following New York, to get electricity from a major offshore wind development.
Once it is fully operational, Vineyard Wind 1 is projected to generate cleaner electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts, produce at least 3,600 jobs, reduce costs for Massachusetts ratepayers by an estimated $1.4 billion over 20 years, and eliminate 1.68 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.