National Industry Leader Will Guide Company in Offshore Wind Development on East and West Coasts
(BOSTON, MA) – Vineyard Offshore today announced that Alicia Barton will be the company’s new CEO, starting in January. Barton will take over for Lars T. Pedersen, who has led the company since it was founded in 2022 and before that led the team developing Vineyard Wind, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the United States, now under construction. Vineyard Offshore is an affiliate of CIP, a global leader in renewable energy investments.
“I had the pleasure of working with Alicia during the very early days of the Vineyard Wind project and know she brings an outstanding mix of skills and talent to Vineyard Offshore,” said Pedersen. “Widely known and highly respected across the industry, she is the ideal candidate to guide the company to greater success in the offshore wind industry, which is critical to achieving state and federal goals for a clean electric power system. Alicia will make Vineyard Offshore the national leader in offshore wind.”
“I am thrilled to be joining Vineyard Offshore at this critical point in its growth and a critical time for the offshore wind industry as we face the imperative to deliver clean energy at an unprecedented scale in the years ahead,” said Barton. “Vineyard Offshore is poised to lead the North American offshore wind market by combining the global pipeline and expertise of its sponsor at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners with the team who has pioneered the delivery of large scale offshore wind in the US. I am excited to take on the challenge of helping the company achieve even greater success ahead on both the East and West Coasts.”
For the past three years, Barton has served as CEO of FirstLight Power, developing and operating 1.6 GW of hydroelectric, pumped storage, battery storage, and solar assets in the U.S. and Canada. Previously, she managed operations for the Global Utility Group at SunEdison, which at the time was the largest renewable energy development company in the world. She also served as CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
“We are very excited to bring Alicia to the team to lead our efforts at Vineyard Offshore,” said Tim Evans, Partner and Head of North America for CIP. “Her experience in business and policy make her a true leader in this field and will help us achieve our ambitious goals for growth in the coming years.”
Earlier in her career, Barton practiced law and served in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, running the state’s environmental review office, among other positions.
She also sits on the boards of directors of several leading climate focused organizations and companies, including the Environmental League of Massachusetts, the Advisory Board for the New England Women in Energy and Environment (NEWIEE) and formerly Chaired the Board for Greentown Labs.
Vineyard Offshore recently won its first project, the 1.3 gigawatt (GW) Excelsior Wind, in the latest offshore wind procurement by the State of New York. The company is also pursuing development of an additional lease area on the East Coast, south of the current Vineyard Wind site, and a newly acquired lease area off the Northern California coast, which will require floating wind turbines. Vineyard Offshore is the exclusive U.S. developer of offshore wind projects in lease areas owned by funds administered by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a global leader in renewable energy investment.
Alicia Barton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources from the Ohio State University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.
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About Vineyard Offshore
Vineyard Offshore is leading the development of two lease areas in the Northeast, in addition to a recently acquired lease in Northern California, OCS-P 0562. Lease area OCS-A 522, known as Vineyard Northeast, is located off the coast of Massachusetts. OCS-A 544, known as Vineyard Mid-Atlantic and home to the Excelsior Wind Project, is located in the New York Bight. Combined with its joint venture development of the first-in-the-nation offshore wind project, Vineyard Wind, now under construction, Vineyard Offshore has the potential to develop more than 6 gigawatts of clean, renewable and affordable energy on the East and West Coasts of the United States. To learn more, visit: www.vineyardoffshore.com.
