The first turbine for Vineyard Wind is officially complete.
The offshore wind project’s two parent companies confirmed the news today, nearly a week after the Nantucket Current published photos taken from Madaket Beach.
The turbine stands almost three times as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
Ken Kimmell, chief development officer for Avangrid’s offshore wind work, said he’s elated about the milestone.
“People in Massachusetts and other states started thinking about this future 15 or 20 years ago, with laws, and policies, and economic incentives,” he said. “And we had a first opportunity, the Cape Wind project, that didn't quite get over the finish line. And so it's very sweet to get a project at this point over the finish line, and it shows that this dream is real.”
Vineyard Wind is a joint venture of Avangrid and a Danish investment firm, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller said some final work needs to be done before the turbine can be turned on. The electrical cables on the seabed need to be connected inside the turbine. And the “big switch” on the offshore substation needs some work, too.
But he said he’s glad to see this day.
“I'm so proud about the team that has made this possible,” he said. “It's the final part of our construction. So it now shows that the whole system works.”
Kimmell said Vineyard Wind will start producing electricity by the end of December, with whatever number of turbines are ready.
Eventually the project will have 62 turbines and produce enough electricity for more than 400,000 homes.
Another wind farm, the 12-turbine South Fork Wind off Rhode Island, also plans to begin operating in the coming months.
To date, the country’s largest offshore wind development is the Block Island Wind Farm, which has five lower-capacity turbines.
