Offshore wind becoming reality in Massachusetts: Vineyard Wind I breaks ground

The first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States is closer to becoming a reality off the coast of Massachusetts.

On Nov. 18, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland joined Gov. Charlie Baker and others to celebrate the groundbreaking for Vineyard Wind 1, a project forecasted to generate 800 megawatts of electricity annually — enough to power over 400,000 homes. The project plan includes the construction of 62 wind turbines in total, located approximately 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

“The advancement of Vineyard Wind 1 reflects an important step toward offshore wind taking a key place as a major contributor to our electricity supply,” said Hannah Read, Environment America Research and Policy Center’s Go Big on Offshore Wind associate. “We are on the brink of unlocking an incredible amount of renewable energy potential, and this is just the beginning.”

This project is a key component of the Biden administration’s commitment to developing 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030. 

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