Vineyard Wind 1 Expects to Reach Full Commercial Operations by End of 2025

 

One year after GE Vernova confirmed it had found “materials defects” in the wind turbine blades for the Massachusetts offshore wind farm, new reports reveal the project is making steady progress. Iberdola, parent company of Avangrid, the investors along with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, told shareholders it now expects Vineyard Wind 1 to reach its commercial operations date “at the end of  2025.”

Iberdrola said in its mid-year financial presentation that 17 turbines out of 62 planned for Vineyard Wind 1 are already exporting power. It reported that 23 are fully installed, which is up from the four that it highlighted in May 2025. Currently, it says the project is supplying approximately 30 percent (241 MW) of its full capacity of 806 MW.

This marks a significant recovery for the project, which had been stopped in its tracks a year ago due to the manufacturing problem with the blades discovered after one blade failed in July 2024. The local newspaper, New Bedford Light, reports that the pace of activity at the installation site has accelerated this summer. It says that the barges carrying materials out to the installation have made at least 15 trips since June, moving turbine components to the installation vessels. It also reports that the project, however, extended the lease on the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, which is being used as a base and staging area, until June 2026.

A year ago, in June 2024, Vineyard Wind had reported that the offshore wind project had 10 operating turbines and was delivering more than 136 MW to the electric grid in Massachusetts. The companies also said that 47 foundations and transition pieces were installed, as well as 21 turbines, with the installation of the 22nd turbine underway.

The newspaper points out that while it appears 40 of the turbines are now in place, it is unknown how many have completed their inspections and replacement of the blades. As part of the project’s agreement with U.S. regulators, all the blades manufactured at GE Vernoa’s facility in Canada had to undergo inspections after one blade fractured. The company has agreed to replace the blades and is now using blades manufactured in France for the project.

Vineyard Wind 1 is one of the few offshore wind projects underway in the United States, in part due to the Trump administration’s efforts to derail the industry. Nearby, Ørsted’s Revolution Wind (704 MW) is also proceeding with construction, while others planned for the New England region remain stalled.

Iberdrola highlighted to investors that it has all the necessary federal permits for its second project, New England Wind 1 (791 MW), but it still has to conclude agreements with the states and has not indicated a potential timeline for construction. Massachusetts confirmed in March that both New England Wind 1 and SouthCoast Wind, which is being developed by a partnership between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, had not yet completed their power purchase agreements. It said both projects were seeking to delay the timing due to market uncertainties.