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Governor Healy and industry leaders highlight Vineyard Wind’s jobs and investments on Martha’s Vineyard
Summary
At a ceremony in Vineyard Haven, Governor Healy, Senator Julian Cyr and Vineyard Wind and Avangrid leaders celebrated operational progress on the Vineyard Wind project, citing thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions in local economic output and state investments to expand offshore wind and workforce training.
Governor Healy and industry and local leaders gathered on Martha’s Vineyard to mark operational milestones for the Vineyard Wind project and to highlight the economic and workforce benefits the initiative is expected to bring to the region.
Governor Healy said the offshore wind facility is already "powering homes" and described the technology as a climate solution and an economic opportunity that could position Massachusetts as a national hub for wind. He credited local officials, industry partners and the Commonwealth for the project’s progress and framed public-private partnerships as essential to scale the industry.
"It's clean energy headed towards powering 60,000 homes," Governor Healy said, and she described Vineyard Wind as producing both emissions reductions and local economic benefits.
Alicia Barton, identifying herself as CEO of Vineyard Offshore and speaking for the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners–Avangrid partnership, said the project reached first power earlier in the year and reported it had "created, over 3,000, full time family sustaining jobs," including "a 1,000 highly skilled union jobs" as part of the project. Barton said Vineyard Wind had worked to develop local workforce programs, certificate training and to recruit residents so the island would share in operations and maintenance employment.
Pedro Azigara, chief executive of Avangrid, thanked partners and noted a decade-long industry effort. He emphasized local hires and said roughly "100 jobs" are currently based on Martha's Vineyard related to the facility. Azigara also described how aspects of the site were elevated to address climate-driven flooding risks.
The ceremony repeatedly tied the project to statewide economic development efforts. Governor Healy cited a proposed "climate tech initiative" that she described as a $1,300,000,000 investment in Massachusetts with $200,000,000 earmarked for offshore wind, and said her administration had established an "office of federal funds" to pursue federal grant and program dollars.
Speakers pointed to existing port and supply-chain investments — including the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal — as evidence that the state and private partners are building the infrastructure to support offshore wind at scale.
The event included brief media questions. On procurement, Governor Healy said the state is in an ongoing procurement process and that bids have been received and are under review. On skepticism about offshore wind, she warned that fossil-fuel interests may seed disinformation and cited past legal action she took as attorney general.
The program closed with local testimony from a Vineyard Wind technician who described receiving training through online courses and hands-on apprenticeships and with leaders reiterating commitments to local hiring and training.
The event ended without any formal vote or regulatory decision; it served as an announcement and celebration of the project's operational phase and of associated workforce and investment commitments.
