Avangrid’s Vineyard Wind 1 begins wind turbine installation campaign

“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 US,” said Avangrid CEO, Pedro Azagra. “We are proud that local union labour 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.”

Turbine dimensions

• The GE Haliade-X is the largest turbine in the Western world, with a nameplate capacity of 13 MW including a power boost mode of 13.6 MW. Each machine is capable of providing power to more than 6000 homes and businesses.
• One rotation of a single turbine, which is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty from the surface of the water, can power one Massachusetts household for an entire day. The blades span 351 ft (107 m) each.
• The components transported to the project area weigh a total of 1700 t combined – equivalent to more than eight Boeing 747 airplanes.
• The diameter of the rotor is 722 ft (220 m) which is equivalent to the height of the Golden Gate Bridge above the water.
• The surface of the blade sweep is equivalent to seven American football fields.

The project will consist of 62 wind turbines to generate 806 MW, enough to power more than 400 000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. Within the portfolio of the Iberdrola Group with over 41 000 MW in operation, it is part of a collection of global assets including offshore projects in the UK, Germany, and France.

The components were transported by two 400 ft barges, the only two in existence capable of transporting GE’s massive Haliade-X turbine components in an up-right position. Once installed, the Haliade-X will rise more than 860 ft (260 m).

GE loaded the US-flagged Marmac from the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal with vertically placed tower sections, three 351-ft-long blades and a nacelle pod that houses the generating components.

As a part of the project labour agreement for the project, local union labour 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.

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