Massachusetts, commonly known as the “Bay State,” is brimming with fascinating history and fun facts. The state is home to America’s first-ever public park, Boston Common. Massachusetts is also home to the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, Harvard University. Then, the Bay State became ground zero for an energy source that could power Earth for 1,000 years. So, not only is the state known for its progressive social policies, but it’s also a pioneer in energy.
Massachusetts becomes ground zero for a powerful energy solution
Iberdrola developed the US’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm through Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). The wind farm is known as Vineyard Wind 1, and the installation of its offshore substation was completed in July 2023, officially kicking off its delivery of clean energy. After the commercial operations began, Iberdrola became responsible for operational control and facility management following an agreement with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
Wind Farm 1 is 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, and 34 miles south of the Cape Cod peninsula. The state’s three main energy providers funded the wind farm with a whopping $3 billion investment (over 2.7 billion euros at the time’s current exchange rates). The first-of-its-kind substation installed by Iberdrola in the US weighs more than 5,000 tonnes, marking it as the largest installation ever for the company.
“We are finally delivering clean offshore wind energy to the Massachusetts grid. We have reached a turning point for climate action in the United States, and we are witnessing a dawning for the nation’s offshore wind industry.” – Pedro Azagra, CEO of Avangrid
This energy source in Massachusetts could power the Earth for 1,000 years
The company reached an agreement with ISO New England in 2020, agreeing to connect its power production to the New England electric power grid at the NSTAR 115kV switch station in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The company also agreed to long-term energy sales with Massachusetts’s electricity distribution companies.
Vineyard Wind utilizes GE Renewable Energy’s industry-leading Haliade-X wind turbines. Wind Farm 1 has approximately 62 of the 13 megawatts (MW) Haliade-X turbines, which have a height of 248 meters each. Each turbine avoids approximately 52,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and a single rotation could produce energy for a Massachusetts home for an entire day.
This means Wind Farm 1 can produce 806 MW of power, which meets the energy demands of more than 400,000 homes and avoids 1.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the equivalent of removing 325,000 cars from the road annually. This makes the wind farm powerful and eco-friendly, but it is even more.
Wind Farm 1 provided more than just power and green energy solutions
Iberdrola’s vision is to commit to renewable energy as a fundamental pillar on which to build its safe, clean, and competitive business model. Thanks to its vision, the company is a world leader in renewables, achieving 44,675 MW of clean energy at the end of the first quarter of 2025. However, the company does so much more than commit to renewable energy.
Vineyard Wind signed the first Project Labor Agreement for an offshore wind project in the United States in 2021. The Project Labor Agreement outlined the creation of 500 union jobs through the project. By December 2023, project shareholders declared that Vineyard Wind 1 had delivered nearly double its committed number of union jobs through the Project Labor Agreement by creating 937 union jobs in two years of construction. Wind Farm 1 resulted in 3,600 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) job years, saved $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and provided New England ratepayers with $3.7 billion in energy savings.
Massachusetts will forever be more than the “Bay State” after it became ground zero for the energy source that could power the Earth for 1,000 years. Wind Farm 1 proves that the global transition to renewable energy sources is a positive step forward.