The Diplomat
Iberdrola, through its US subsidiary Avangrid, has signed an agreement to assume responsibility as the operations and management services provider for Vineyard Wind 1, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the United States, the company said.
Vineyard Wind 1 is an 800 megawatt (MW) offshore wind project off the coast of Massachusetts and is owned by a 50/50 joint venture between Avangrid and Danish fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).
Specifically, the agreements include the operation and maintenance services contract and the asset management contract that designate Avangrid as responsible for overseeing the operation and management of the facility once construction is completed and commercial operations commence.
Through these agreements, the Iberdrola subsidiary will provide services to the Vineyard Wind 1 project and lead the operations management of the wind farm, including the supervision of critical tasks such as turbine, cable and substation maintenance, contractor coordination and a permanent service control centre, among others.
Avangrid will hire approximately 20 technically skilled employees, including key positions who will undergo intensive training abroad at Iberdrola’s operating offshore wind farms in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, helping to prepare them to operate the innovative US facility.
Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said the company “is proud to be a pioneer in the US offshore wind industry and, by leveraging the Iberdrola group’s global expertise and a skilled and talented local workforce, is well positioned to maximise the operation and performance” of the project.
He also stressed that offshore wind represents “a great opportunity to advance America’s ambitious climate goals” and highlighted that “the successful completion and operation of ‘Vineyard Wind 1’ will “lay the foundation for continued industry growth for decades to come”, including Avangrid’s 4.9 gigawatt (GW) portfolio of projects in this technology.
