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GE Vernova has cited a manufacturing defect — specifically “insufficient bonding” — for the blade failure at the Vineyard Wind project nearly two weeks ago. As the investigation continues, it will re-inspect 150 blades produced at its factory in Canada.
Several blades are also stacked at the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford. GE did not respond to questions Wednesday on whether the company will be inspecting those blades as well.
A GE Vernova spokesperson said the defect was “insufficient bonding” that should have been caught.
“Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working with urgency to scrutinize our blade manufacturing and quality assurance program across offshore wind,” the spokesperson said by email. “We have work to do, but we are confident in our ability to implement corrective actions and move forward.”
Operations and construction of the Vineyard Wind project were brought to a halt this month after the federal government issued a suspension order, which will last until the companies and agencies can determine whether other blades are affected.
During a call with investors Wednesday morning, Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, said that while the root cause analysis of the blade incident continues, information gathered to date indicates the blade experienced a “manufacturing deviation,” with no indication of an engineering or design flaw.
“We have identified a material or manufacturing deviation in one of our factories that through the inspection or quality assurance process we should have identified,” Strazik said.
“Because of that, we’re going to use our existing data and re-inspect all of the blades that we have made for offshore wind … to be clear, this is work we know how to do.”
He likened it to conducting ultrasounds on all the blades, stating the testing is nondestructive.
“We’re not going to talk about the timeline today,” Strazik said. “But I have a high degree of confidence that we can do this and we’ll do it in support of both the customer and the agency.”
Strazik also commented on the Dogger Bank incident in the United Kingdom, where another 13-megawatt Haliade-X blade (same as the Vineyard Wind model) failed, stating that it was caused by an installation issue.
He said GE has continued to install the blades at the Dogger Bank wind farm.
In a meeting last week, GE representatives also told town officials that the Dogger Bank incident was caused by an installation issue that they believe to be “disconnected” from Vineyard Wind’s failure.
The GE Vernova CEO’s comments come hours after the town of Nantucket shared a preliminary environmental analysis by an outside firm (hired by GE) regarding the health and environmental impacts of the debris washing ashore and floating in the ocean.
“The current primary potential risk is injury to people who may physically contact the blade debris, (such as shards of fiberglass) on public beach and shoreline areas,” Arcadis, an environmental consultant, said in the initial report.
Amid health concerns from Nantucket residents, the firm concluded the blade debris both at sea and on shore “in their final product state are considered inert, non-soluble, stable, and non-toxic.”
The report lists other industries and uses of the blade materials: boats, airplanes, textiles, electrical insulation, packaging and healthcare.
“There are 33 different materials involved in the production of a turbine blade, from the most basic common household adhesives to the more complex industrial materials,” the report states.
GE also shared a highly technical, 485-page document detailing the materials and their hazards under certain conditions.
Residents have expressed concern about “forever chemicals” (under the category of PFAS). The report states parts containing PFAS comprise .00005% of the 57-ton blade, and is isolated to aerodynamic additions, which are under a foot in length and width.
Nearly 40% of these “add-ons” are visible on the remaining blade still attached to the turbine.
“Of the remaining 173 units, it is not yet possible to confirm how many remain adhered to the outer blade,” the report states. “It is possible that some may have fallen from the blade, have landed either on the working platform of the tower or equally into the sea, and/or have already been collected in the debris from the shoreline or by the salvage vessels.”
As the investigation continues by both the industry and federal government (the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is conducting an independent analysis), many questions remain.
The Select Board met Tuesday with county commissioners to discuss possible litigation against Vineyard Wind to recover costs associated with responding to the blade failure. The meeting was conducted in executive session, and thus closed to the public.
Crews continue to collect foam and fiberglass debris from the water and Nantucket shores.
The Arcadis report states the firm is coordinating with another company, Resolve Marine, to remove the remaining segment of the blade from the turbine under the supervision of federal and state officials.
Neither Vineyard Wind nor GE immediately responded to questions Wednesday on how much debris has been collected so far.
Officials from both companies are expected to attend another Select Board meeting Wednesday night to answer questions, provide updates and hear from residents, many of whom expressed frustration, concern and outrage at the last meeting.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on July 24, 2024, to include additional comments from GE Verona about defects to the blade that was damaged during testing.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
