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Five days after a Vineyard Wind turbine blade broke apart during testing, a 300-foot section of the blade fell into the water, prompting further cleanup efforts at sea and along the Nantucket shoreline as officials continue work on determining the cause of the blade failure.

The section, which had been dangling from the turbine since Saturday evening, hit the water just before 7 a.m. Thursday. Company officials said they had expected the compromised blade to eventually fall into the water, with vessels and resources on standby to respond. 

“This morning, a significant part of the remaining GE Vernova blade detached from the turbine,” the company said in a prepared statement Thursday. “Maritime crews were onsite overnight preparing to respond to this development, though current weather conditions create a difficult working environment.”

The statement said a fleet of vessels remained at the site on Thursday, “managing the situation,” while working to remove debris, and additional crews deployed to Nantucket in anticipation of more debris washing ashore.

Officials from MassDEP, the Department of Fish and Game, and the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs have also been in communication with the companies and are on standby for additional support. 

Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday said state officials were on site with workers to clean up and remove debris, Axios Boston reported.

“We see the success of wind and wind turbines around the world that have been operating well and safely for decades,” Healey told Axios. “Obviously, something went wrong. There was a problem. We need to understand that, get to the bottom of it and make sure it’s addressed.”

“The offshore wind industry is a critical component of Massachusetts’ economy and the country’s transition to clean, affordable energy,” Healey said in a later statement to The Light. “It is essential that we gain a full understanding of what happened here and how it can be prevented in the future.”

Healey’s office stated her administration continues to press for transparency and frequent updates each step of the way as the public seeks answers.

How events unfolded 

Updates to the public from Vineyard Wind and GE were initially slow to come, but since Monday, Vineyard Wind has provided at least a daily update. Following is a chronology of how events unfolded.

Screenshot

Saturday, July 13: One of the three blades on turbine AW38 sustained  damage in the evening while undergoing testing. U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice to mariners to exercise caution due to debris in the area. Soon after, BSEE issued a verbal suspension order, requiring operations to cease at the site. 

Sunday, July 14: Some fishermen encountered and captured pictures of the damaged blade. 

Monday, July 15: BSEE issued a written suspension order, and Vineyard Wind published a press release announcing to the public the turbine incident. 

Tuesday, July 16: Nantucket residents reported finding large and small foam and fiberglass debris scattered across several beaches. Vineyard Wind dispatched contractors and employees to help town staff with cleanup, filling trucks with debris. Nantucket closed affected beaches to swimming.

Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller responds to comments and questions at the Nantucket Select Board meeting on July 17 after a turbine blade sustained damage a few days prior.

Wednesday, July 17: Beaches reopened for swimming while cleanups continued. That evening during a Nantucket Select Board meeting, Vineyard Wind and GE officials responded to questions and heard impassioned comments from residents, who are concerned about health and environmental impacts. Vineyard Wind’s CEO Klaus Moeller apologized to the local community, stating he was “truly sorry.”

Thursday, July 18: A significant remaining portion (about 300 feet) of the 350-foot-long blade detached from the turbine and fell into the water just before 7 a.m. Vessels were on site to retrieve debris. More workers were dispatched to Nantucket in anticipation of more debris coming ashore. 

Incident fuels political debate

Republican state representatives this week cited the ongoing Vineyard Wind incident in their unanimous opposition to a Democrat-backed clean energy bill. 

House Minority Leader Brad Jones called the legislation, which seeks to expedite the permitting process for clean energy projects, a “missed opportunity” to address the “catastrophic failure” of the turbine, the State House News Service reported.

“We don’t know whether it’s a one-off. We don’t know whether it’s something much more serious and systemic that’s going to repeat itself,” Jones told the News Service. “We’re lucky there were no fatalities or injuries, but there were obviously beach closures, and obviously that’s not something that you want to see on a recurring basis, not very sustainable from an energy perspective.”

State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, said on Thursday that the incident is “deeply concerning” and that the project should be suspended until assurances are made that it won’t happen again. 

Turbine parts have continued to come into the Port of New Bedford for staging. The most recent was on Thursday with tower components.

Vineyard Wind and GE officials did not respond to further questions on Thursday. A safety zone around the affected area remains in place. 

Until the companies determine through their investigation that other blades are in the clear for both operation and installation, the wind farm is shut down under a federal order and not sending any power to the grid. 

The Light has requested copies of the orders from Vineyard Wind and the federal government.

Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.

4 replies on “Concerns mount over Vineyard Wind turbine failure”

  1. Maura Healey said that the waters off of Massachusetts” is the Saudi Arabia of wind energy” apparently these wind turbines can’t handle the wind.

  2. MORE ENVIRO GRIFT FROM FED GOVERNMENT, EUROS AND CHICOMS, WATCH OUR TAX $ GET SIPHONED OFF, POWER BILLS GO UP AND THE ONLY REAL “CLIMATE” ISSUE THAT MATTERS TO EAST COAST FISHERMEN ETC RAISING SEA WATER TEMPS BE UNADDRESSED AND IGNORED, IN 10-15 YEARS OR LESS THESE WILL ALL BE JUNK AND NEED TO BE PULLED OUT AND SOMEHOW RECYCLED AT OUR EXPENSE FOR WHICH THE TECH TO RECYLE THEM DOES NOT EXIST

  3. A GE Vernova offshore wind turbine blade came apart this May 2024, at the Dogger Bank A project off the coast of England.
    The root cause analysis appears to be a construction or lifting problem.
    Are they repeating the same construction issues with all ten turbines installed?

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