The Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, a joint project between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), has so far created 937 union jobs through two years of construction, delivering nearly double the commitment to create 500 union jobs as outlined in the Project Labor Agreement (PLA).
Being built offshore Massachusetts, the 806 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project has in total created 1,989 jobs overall, and delivered $590 million in total economic output to the Massachusetts economy since the start of its development phase back in 2027, according to developers.
The findings were presented in the second annual report to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), ‘Vineyard Wind 1 Impact on Jobs and Economic Output’, compiled by UMass Dartmouth and Springline Research Group.
During the second year of construction, the report finds a total headcount of 890 individual union workers on the project, in addition to 197 that worked on the project in the first year.
The report also found that 71.5% of union workers on the project are residents of Southeastern Massachusetts.
The assessment uses job and expenditure data collected from 2017 through September 2023 to measure Vineyard Wind’s progress.
“By the time we complete construction on Vineyard Wind 1, Avangrid will have delivered more than 1,000 union jobs and enough clean power for 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts. The report reflects the enormous potential of offshore wind, and we’re proud of the bonds we’ve built with the unions and skilled labor in Massachusetts,” said Avangrid’s CEO Pedro Azagra.
Vineyard Wind began offshore construction in late 2022, achieved steel-in-the-water in June, and completed the nation’s first offshore substation in July.
In May 2023, the project received the first shipment of project components at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, and began turbine installation in September 2023.
Currently, the project has installed five turbines, out of 62 GE Haliade-X 13 MW total planned for the site, and is on track to deliver its first power, the developers said.