Iberdrola’s U.S. renewables unit Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) said Jan. 3 they delivered 5 megawatts (MW) of power from their Vineyard Wind 1 project offshore Massachusetts.

The milestone was reached as the U.S. continues efforts to increase offshore wind energy capacity, targeting 30 MW by 2030.

As part of the commissioning process, CIP said one turbine delivered about 5 MW of power at 11:52 p.m. Jan. 2. Tim Evans, partner and head of North America for CIP, said the accomplishment “marks the dawn of a new era for American renewables and the green transition.”

“By delivering first power, we have broken new ground and shown a viable path forward with power that is renewable, locally produced and affordable,” Evans said.

Developers plan to have five turbines operating at full capacity early this year as they move towards producing 806 MW of power in total from 62 wind turbines. With a height of up to 260 m and a rotor diameter of 220 m, each turbine has one tower, three 107-m blades and one nacelle.

Vineyard Wind is expected to generate enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes and businesses, lowering carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year. That is equivalent to removing 325,000 cars from roads annually, CIP said in a news release.

Offshore construction for the project off Martha’s Vineyard started in late 2022. Power is transmitted via underground cables that interconnect to the New England grid in Barnstable, Mass. CIP and Avangrid said additional onshore and offshore testing at Vineyard Wind is expected to happen in the coming weeks.

“2023 was a historic year defined by steel in the water and people at work,” said Avangrid’s CEO Pedro Azagra. “Today, we begin a new chapter and welcome 2024 by delivering the first clean offshore wind power to the grid in Massachusetts. We’ve arrived at a watershed moment for climate action in the U.S., and a dawn for the American offshore wind industry.”

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