In a significant milestone for the renewable energy industry, Vineyard Wind LLC began construction recently on its highly anticipated offshore wind farm.
The company said the project marks a pivotal moment in the United States' transition to a clean energy future, setting the stage for a new era of sustainable power generation.
A recent LinkedIn post by OffshoreChannel contained videos noting the first helicopter crew changes for DEME Group’s Orion and the installation of the first monopile foundation.
"We can finally say it. As of today, there is steel in the water. Over the next few months, we'll be working with the building trades and our contractors to ensure the work is done safely and efficiently," Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller said in a statement.
Orion will continue monopile installations through the summer, while a fleet of OSVs, fishing boats, and other vessels will deploy bubble curtains to dampen the sounds made during foundation installation. A passive acoustic monitoring system will also be deployed for real-time monitoring of marine mammals during pile driving.
The Vineyard Wind 1 project is set to be located approximately 15 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Developers estimate that the project will create over 3,600 jobs during the construction phase, and an additional 1,000 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance.
Once completed, Vineyard Wind 1 will consist of an array of wind turbines strategically positioned in an area covering roughly 160,000 acres. Vineyard Wind said the project’s initial phase aims to deploy 62 turbines with a combined capacity of 800 megawatts, capable of providing clean energy to more than 400,000 homes and businesses.
Vineyard Wind LLC is 50% owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50% owned by Avangrid Renewables LLC.
