Avangrid has announced the start of the wind turbine installation campaign for its 806MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project in the US.
The installation campaign follows the successful transportation earlier this week of the first GE Haliade-X wind turbine from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal to the wind energy development area more than 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
Avangrid chief executive Pedro Azagra said: “Over the past year, we have achieved significant milestones in the development of Avangrid’s Vineyard Wind 1, but the installation of the project’s first turbine stands as a singular landmark for offshore wind, clean energy, and climate action in the United States.
“We are proud that local union labor will pioneer the installation of the massive GE turbines that will harness the winds off the shores of Massachusetts to power more than 400,000 homes and businesses across the Commonwealth.”
The project will consist of 62 wind turbines, enough to power more than 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.
The massive components were transported by two 400 foot barges, the only two in existence capable of transporting in an upright position GE’s massive Haliade-X turbine components.
Once installed, the Haliade-X will rise more than 860 ft (or 260 meters) which is equivalent to 3X the height of the Flat Iron Building.
GE loaded the US-flagged Marmac from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal with vertically placed tower sections, three 351-foot-long blades and a nacelle pod that houses the generating components.
As a part of a Project Labor Agreement, local union labor will be used both on the vessels and onshore at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.
The project estimates that approximately 400 union members have worked on the project to date.