During a tour of the construction 12 miles south of the Vineyard, the company behind the project said the turbines could start producing electricity as early as October.
While many have touted the arrival of offshore wind, there are also concerns about the scope of the effort and the potential for irreparable damage to species that live and migrate through the area.
An entirely new energy industry in the U.S. took a step forward earlier this month when, just 14 miles south of the Vineyard, construction started on the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind energy farm.
As construction on the U.S.’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm started this week, another proposed for the waters south of the Vineyard said it hopes to sever its contracts.
With construction now thrumming on the Vineyard Haven waterfront, the CEO of Vineyard Wind said this week that he expects the company’s first turbine to be installed by late summer.
Under pressure to reduce the environmental impacts of its wind farm located 15 miles off the Vineyard coast, Vineyard Wind has turned to artificial intelligence in a bid to protect the endangered right whale population.
As Vineyard Wind breaks ground on the nation’s first industrial-scale offshore wind farm, global supply chain issues and rising commodities prices have stalled a second project.
Vineyard Wind plans to make the Island its operations and maintenance hub for the offshore wind development project. It hosted a recent jobs fair at the regional high school.
Two offshore wind farms planned for waters south of Vineyard cleared key hurdles last week when the Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted to approve a helicopter hangar for Vineyard Wind 1, and separately, an undersea cable connector for New England Wind 1.
Both projects are being developed by conglomerates that have secured federal lease blocks some 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, as the race to develop offshore wind power heats up in Massachusetts.
