Vineyard Wind finished as the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States
Vineyard Wind finished construction as the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States, completing installation of all 62 turbines on March 13, 2026, WBUR News reports. The finished project sits 12 nautical miles off Marthas Vineyard and 12 nautical miles off Nantucket, 2 islands off the coast of Massachusetts, according to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the agency that permits offshore wind projects. Vineyard Wind is rated at 800 megawatts, a measure of how much electricity a plant can generate at once, and is expected to power more than 400,000 homes, according to the developer Vineyard Offshore and WBUR News. It will still take several more weeks past March 14, 2026 before all 62 turbines generate at full capacity.
44 of the 62 turbines were already operating by late January 2026, according to a court filing from the company. Iberdrola, the parent company of co developer Avangrid, told investors on an earnings call the week before March 14, 2026 that 52 of the 62 turbines were authorized to run. Workers then finished the remaining 10 turbines in about 6 weeks, installing the last blade on the evening of March 13, 2026 and completing construction, WBUR News reports.
The 44 count is turbines operating, the 52 count is turbines authorized to operate, and the 62 count is turbines with final blades installed, 3 different construction milestones from 1 source.
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| Late January 2026 | 44 |
| Early March 2026 | 52 |
| March 13 2026 | 62 |
A blade failure and a national security order, both survived
Construction was not always this smooth. A turbine blade failed in July 2024 after a manufacturing deviation was found, and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement suspended part of the project until January 17, 2025. A second suspension order, citing a national security review, halted Vineyard Wind and 4 other East Coast offshore wind projects on December 22, 2025.
Trump's gone in under three years and the winds around here have staying power.
Michael Barrett, Massachusetts state senator. Source 4.
New Bedford anchors the jobs and the savings
The staging port for all this construction is the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a 29 acre facility the Port of New Bedford finished in 2015 at a cost of 150 million dollars. Vineyard Wind signed its first lease there in October 2018 after winning the federal lease auction in May 2018. The finished project cost 4.5 billion dollars total and employed approximately 3,500 people, WBUR News reports. The state estimates the finished project will save Massachusetts ratepayers 1.4 billion dollars over its first 20 years of operation.
The affordable, homegrown power it delivers to Massachusetts residents and businesses will bring costs down as President Trump throws global markets into disarray.
Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts. Source 4.
Fishing crews can now file for compensation
Commercial fishing crews that worked the lease area can now apply for compensation if Vineyard Wind hurts their business. Massachusetts fishermen have access to a 19.1 million dollar compensation fund, Rhode Island fishermen to 4.2 million dollars, and fishermen in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York combined to 3.3 million dollars, according to CAI, Cape and Islands. Applicants had to show they used the lease area for at least 3 years between 2016 and 2022, with no need to prove actual economic harm.
Connecticut, New Jersey and New York fishermen share 1 combined fund of 3.3 million dollars, not 3 separate funds of that size.
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| Massachusetts | 19.1 |
| Rhode Island | 4.2 |
| Connecticut, New Jersey and New York | 3.3 |
Vineyard Wind is the first offshore wind developer to have steel in federal waters and to come out with their mitigation plan.
Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermens Association. Source 5.