Vineyard Wind sends burst of power to New England grid for first time.

Two days into the new year, the ISO New England electric transmission grid for the first time surged with power churned by the winds blowing over the Outer Continental Shelf south of Martha's Vineyard.

Just before noon on Tuesday, one turbine in the Vineyard Wind lease area successfully delivered about five megawatts of power to the mainland via cables under Covell Beach in Centerville. The switch was flipped at 11:52 p.m. as part of the initial commissioning process for the project, a joint venture of Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners that's been touted as the nation's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm.

Cape Cod legislators are applauding the landmark moment.

"This milestone is a testament to the achievements we can reach through collaboration, persistence, and a dedication to a green future," said state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, in a statement released Wednesday. "Cape Codders and Islanders are proud to pave the way for continued advancement of a clean energy future in Massachusetts powered by offshore wind, one that’s critical to saving our planet and coastal communities.”

Noting Cape Cod's extreme vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise, state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown, said "it is fitting that our region will lead the nation in the development of offshore wind to green our electric grid."

The sentiment was shared by House colleague, state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth, who called the delivery of the first power "a pivotal moment in our fight against climate change."

“As clean, renewable wind power flows to Massachusetts homes for the first time, we are making tangible progress toward our climate goals while also putting hundreds of local community members to work," he said in the statement.

Vineyard Wind: More testing planned in coming weeks

Additional testing will take place on and offshore in coming weeks, Vineyard Wind said. The company expects to have five turbines — including the turbine that delivered first power — working at full capacity early this year. No definitive date was given, but until then initial operations will gradually ramp up, with power delivered intermittently as testing and commissioning progresses.

There are another 57 turbines to construct in the shallow waters south of Martha's Vineyard to complete the 806-megawatt Vineyard Wind farm. It is not known when the project will become fully operational, though earlier projections put completion within this year.

Several critical tests and technical milestones, including final testing of the export cables and energization of the offshore substation, preceded Tuesday's power delivery. The event was initially expected to occur last week, before the turning of the year.

Vineyard Wind: Offshore substation is 'largest built'

Finished in July, the offshore substation "is one of the largest built in the global offshore industry," according to the company,

Vineyard Wind's General Electric Haliade-X turbines are also monumental. Each includes a monopile anchoring it to the seafloor, a transitional piece at the surface, then a tower topped by a nacelle and three blades. The blades are 107 meters long, or almost the length of a football field including the end zones (109.7 meters). The height of each turbine is about the same as three Statues of Liberty stacked up, (about 850 feet) from blade tip to the water's surface.

According to the U.S. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, this scale is typical for offshore wind turbines. The greater heights and longer blades allow each turbine to create more energy more efficiently, therefore fewer turbines are needed to produce the same power that shorter turbines with shorter blades would generate.

Healey: Initial power burst is 'a historic moment'

In a statement on Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey said Vineyard Wind's initial power burst is "a historic moment for the American offshore wind industry."

"As we look ahead, Massachusetts is on a path toward energy independence thanks to our nation-leading work to stand up the offshore wind industry," she said.

Tim Evans, a partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, credits "local partners, labor leaders and the project’s skilled union workforce, and local communities from New Bedford to Barnstable” for making Vineyard Wind's efforts possible.

“By delivering first power, we have broken new ground and shown a viable path forward with power that is renewable, locally produced, and affordable," he said.

Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra agreed, noting in a statement: "As we build on this tremendous progress and work to deliver the full capacity of this historic project, we continue to stand proudly with all the partners that made this achievement possible, including the Biden Administration and the Healey-Driscoll Administration."

An estimate of $3.7 billion in energy-related cost savings

Sierra Club Massachusetts, the grassroots environmental organization, estimates the project will contribute $3.7 billion in energy-related cost savings once it's fully operational, and will "boost local energy reliability, helping ensure fewer blackouts and power outages in the region," said in a statement.

“Vineyard Wind will aid tremendously in reducing dangerous fossil fuel air pollution that threatens the health of our most vulnerable communities," said Sierra Club Massachusetts Acting Director Vick Mohanka.

To begin, Vineyard Wind will contribute about 65 megawatts to the power grid. This will gradually increase in bundles as more turbines are completed and put into operation until the full 806-megawatt capacity is reached.

Once it's complete, the project will produce enough power to energize 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts and is expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year — equivalent to taking 325,000 cars off the road annually, according to the company.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: With a flip of a switch, Vineyard Wind delivers first power to grid