Wind Power from South of Martha’s Vineyard, was delivered to the New England Grid late Tuesday night, a step Governor Maura Healey (D) hailed as “a historic moment for the American offshore wind industry.”
It’s a development nearly 20 years in the making, ever since the ill-fated Cape Wind Pproject was First Proposed.
The breakthrough from the Vineyard Wind Project happened at 11:52 p.m. on Tuesday evening, according to Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, the Developers of the Project, when roughly Five megawatts of Power from One Turbine was sent to the Grid via a connection point in Barnstable.
When completed later this year, the Project will have 62 Turbines and a Total generating capacity of 806 Megawatts, enough to Power about 400,000 Homes. It’s One of several planned Offshore Wind Projects that makeup a Cornerstone of the Region’s Plan to shift its Electric Grid from Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy.
“We’ve arrived at a watershed moment for climate action in the US, and a dawn for the American offshore wind industry,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra.
It hasn’t been an easy road to get here, with Delays during the Trump Administration shaving years off the planned Timeline. And the Road ahead doesn’t look easy, either.
Over the past year, the Offshore Wind Industry ran into several Speed Bumps, as Inflation and Supply Chain Issues, sent Costs for planned Projects soaring. Developers of several Projects Terminated Agreements, which they Plan to Rebid at a Higher Rate this year.
That includes both SouthCoast Wind and Commonwealth Wind, Two massive Projects planned for Massachusetts Waters that together would add enough Electricity to meet 15% of the State’s Power Demand. For the Wind Farm Industry in Massachusetts, it’s back to square Two.
The latest Developers to Pull the Plug are in New York. On Wednesday, Equinor and BP Terminated Empire Wind 2 with plans to Reset the Project. One of the Problems is finding Citys to accept the Pipline from the Wind Farm through their City's to Power Stations. The other is the Cost of these Projects have got Larger.
Time is of the essence in Massachusetts. By the End of this Decade, the State is Legally required to have 92% Carbon-Free Electricity. Healey took that lofty Goal even further with a Campaign Pledge to have 100% Clean Electricity by 2030. Right now, 59% of Massachusetts Electricity is Carbon Free, according to State figures, which reflects Electricity generated by Carbon-Free sources in Massachusetts, as well as Credits the Utilities can Purchase for Electricity generated in other Places.
And it’s Not just the State that’s on a Tight Timeline. The Biden Administration has laid out a Goal of Deploying 30 gigawatts of Offshore Wind Energy by 2030, a Plan that will require 2,100 Wind Turbines, 6,800 miles of Cable, and New and expanded Ports that can accommodate the New Industry, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
In early December, South Fork Wind, a project being developed off the Coast of Long Island, after some Problems wre resovled, became the Nation’s First Commercial-Scale Offshore Wind Farm, to deliver Electricity to the Grid. While much Smaller than Vineyard Wind, roughly One-Sixth the size, South Fork Wind is expected to be Completed early this year.
Revolution Wind 1, an Offshore Wind Farm nearly the size of Vineyard Wind, which will provide Electricity to Connecticut and Rhode Island, is expected to begin Offshore Construction this year, and be completed toward the end of 2025, said Mads Nipper, CEO of Danish Wind Energy Developer Ørsted.
But Wednesday was a day Not just for Possibilities. Amanda Barker, a Climate Policy Advocate at Green Energy Consumers Alliance, said Vineyard Wind’s First Turbine coming Online “marks a turning point in our transition towards a more sustainable and resilient energy future.”
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