Offshore wind just hit another major milestone in the United States.
Vineyard Wind said this week that 10 turbines are now sending power to New England’s electric grid. The 136 megawatts in operation are enough to power 64,000 homes, making the Massachusetts project the largest operating offshore wind farm in the United States.
That progress follows the March completion of South Fork Wind, a 132-MW project serving New York, and comes as wind projects off Rhode Island and Virginia ramp up construction. It all represents a major boost to an industry that struggled to take root in the United States for decades and has more recently seen its future threatened by the onset of inflation and supply chain constraints.
But even as Vineyard Wind advances, its path highlights the significant obstacles that remain for the country’s offshore wind industry. The 62-turbine, 800 MW project has faced a series of delays — including securing the return of a specialized installation vessel to install the project’s last 15 turbine foundations. The boat did not finish the job last year and is contracted to a project off the coast of Virginia through October.
