Governor Maura Healey visited the Vineyard Wind maintenance terminal in Vineyard Haven Thursday and toured a crew-transfer boat for the offshore wind company.
Undeterred by the steady rain, Healey stepped aboard the boat at the dock, where she was shown a crane for cargo, the galley, and the wheelhouse, on a tour led by Captain Josh Rand, 28, who grew up in Sandwich.
The high-speed vessel, the Windea Intrepid, brings workers and supplies for Vineyard Wind out to the turbines, currently under construction about 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
In the wheelhouse, Rand invited the governor to sit in the captain’s chair, as he pointed out the different technology used to operate the vessel.
Healey also visited the Vineyard Wind maintenance terminal on Beach Road in Vineyard Haven, where she met with offshore wind workers and local officials. Also in attendance were the CEOs of Avangrid and Vineyard Offshore, the parent companies of Vineyard Wind.
Speaking at the operations and maintenance building, Healey thanked everyone involved in bringing offshore wind to Massachusetts.
“Thank you for bringing this home,” she said. “You know, Massachusetts — we were serious when we said we were going to make a big bet on wind. It's where we need to go, right? It is absolutely where we need to go as we move away from fossil fuels.”
Following the governor, wind service technician Gabriel Bellebuono, a 2018 graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, spoke about his experience working in the field.
“It's an honor to work on these towers and be a part of something like this,” Bellebuono told the gathering. “I'm pretty stoked that this fell into our backyard. I really can see how it will benefit a lot of other folks here in the future. And, yeah—it's fun.”
The state plans to announce the winners of a new set of offshore wind contracts August 7th.
Asked by CAI about the upcoming procurement, Healey said she can’t speak about bids the state is considering, but that the size of the offering, at 3,600 megawatts, shows how much her administration values the industry.
Later in the day, Healey participated in a youth sports celebration in Oak Bluffs.
