Iberdrola’s Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm named Climate Change Project of the Year

• The Environmental Business Council (EBC) of New England (USA) has just named Vineyard Wind 1 as its Climate Change Project of the Year.
• Vineyard Wind 1 received the Ruth H. Silman Award by the association in recognition of its initiatives and efforts that demonstrate leadership in addressing the climate crisis.
   

This offshore wind farm, developed by Avangrid, is under construction off the coast of Massachusetts, and already deluvers clean energy to 30,000 homes and businesses in the region. This is thanks to the five turbines that came into operation in the first quarter of the year.

Vineyard Wind 1 is the first large-scale offshore wind project in the United States. The 806 MW facility consists of 62 wind turbines over 800 feet high, and will be the largest renewable energy plant in New England. When fully operational, this plant will power around 400,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by over 1.6 million US tons per year. In addition, the project has created more than 2,000 jobs to date and has contributed $590 million to the Massachusetts’ economy.

“We are honoured to receive this important recognition for our Vineyard Wind 1 project, and thank the Environmental Business Council for their partnership and support as we work together to take urgent action on climate change,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Vineyard Wind 1 is a trailblazing project for the New England region and the nation, and we are very proud to set a foundation from which an entire clean energy industry can flourish and meaningfully address climate challenges.” 

“EBC is honoured to present the Ruth H. Silman Award for Climate Change Project of the Year Award to Vineyard Wind 1, a project that moves Massachusetts, and the entire New England region, into a cleaner, more sustainable energy future,” said Ann Gisinger, EBC’s executive director. 

The award will be given at the EBC APEX Awards ceremony, its official name, in June 2024 at the City Winery in Boston, Massachusetts. This recognition is presented by the Environmental Business Council, or EBC, a non-profit organisation created in 1990 by environmental and energy company executives to exchange ideas and share experiences. It was the first organisation in the United States created to support and encourage the development of the environmental industry.