Martha’s Vineyard, located south of Cape Cod, is associated with America’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm project. The project is expected to generate 800 megawatts and supply renewable electricity to thousands of US homes.
The Vineyard Wind 1 project received the final major step in the federal review process, obtaining the Record of Decision from the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Lars T. Pedersen, CEO, Vineyard Wind, said: “Today’s Record of Decision is not about the start of a single project, but the launch of a new industry. Receiving this final major federal approval means the jobs, economic benefits, and clean energy revolution associated with the Vineyard Wind 1 project can finally come to fruition.”
Vineyard Wind 1 will use the GE Haliade-X wind turbines. Each of the turbines can generate between 12 and 14 megawatts (MW), depending on the needs of a given project. The use of the Haliade-X platform allows the project to reduce the total number of turbines to 62 while maintaining the ability to deliver a total capacity of 800 MW to Massachusetts ratepayers. The project is scheduled to start supplying electricity to customers in 2023.
John Lavelle, President and CEO of Offshore Wind, GE Renewable Energy, said: “A key step toward achieving the Biden administration’s goal of bringing 30 GW of the offshore wind online by 2030.” He added that the decision was “one more reason to be optimistic about the potential of offshore wind in the US, an abundant source of clean, renewable energy that can help coastal communities address the threat of climate change and accelerate the energy transition.”
