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A 300-foot piece of a damaged Vineyard Wind turbine blade fell into the water Thursday morning, prompting further cleanup efforts both at sea and on land.
The update comes several hours after company officials said the integrity of the remaining blade had been compromised and was expected to soon detach from the wind turbine, with debris falling overnight.
“That is what we expected to happen” due to wind and gravity, said a turbine engineer during a public meeting with Nantucket town officials and residents Wednesday night.
“Maritime crews were onsite overnight preparing to respond to this development, though current weather conditions create a difficult working environment,” said Vineyard Wind in a statement Thursday morning. “Despite these challenging weather conditions, a fleet of vessels remains at sea managing the situation and working to remove bulk debris.”
The company has also sent additional crews to Nantucket in anticipation that more debris may come ashore Thursday and Friday.
Company officials shared news of the looming detachment as they responded to questions and comments during the tense and at times contentious meeting Wednesday, which lasted nearly four hours. Many expressed frustration over the incident, and the time it took to be notified of incoming debris that would wash up on many island beaches.
The 350-foot turbine blade was undergoing testing when it sustained damage Saturday evening. Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the 13-megawatt Haliade-X turbine, are still working to determine the cause.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement earlier this week issued a suspension order, halting all operations and construction at the site until Vineyard Wind and GE submit a “root cause analysis.”
Until the companies determine that other blades are in the clear, the wind farm is shut down and is not sending any power to the grid. Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller said they ceased operations before receiving BSEE’s order to do so out of an abundance of caution.
“The Suspension Order suspends power production on the lease area and suspends installation of new wind turbine generator construction: Those operations will remain shut down until the suspension is lifted,” read a statement from the federal agency. “BSEE has also issued a Preservation Order to safeguard any evidence that may be relevant to determining the cause of the incident.”
“There are no reported injuries or harm to any marine resources or mammals from the incident. BSEE is onsite with Vineyard Wind as investigations are underway. BSEE will conduct an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations,” the statement continued.
The analysis involves visually inspecting the turbine and retracing the blade every step of the way — from its production in a factory in Canada to installation south of Martha’s Vineyard.
Roger Martella, head of government affairs for GE Vernova, referred to a “war room” in GE’s upstate New York offices set up to analyze what went wrong.
“A failure like this once a season, or even less often, is unacceptable,” Martella said. “That’s the purpose of our root cause analysis, is to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
Company officials said the turbine automatically shut down when the blade was damaged, which set off an internal alarm system. Per requirements, Vineyard Wind notified agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and BSEE.
Moeller apologized to the community of Nantucket over the incident, stating he was “truly sorry” and that the company is taking it “very, very seriously.”
He later left the meeting early due to an “urgent development” on the remaining blade pieces.
So far, responders have collected about six truckloads of fiberglass and foam debris from Nantucket shores, all of which will be shipped off the island (and some of which has already been transported to New Bedford for analysis).
Residents and members of the Nantucket select board pushed back on Vineyard Wind’s characterization of the debris from the blade as “nontoxic,” stating it was a health concern that was being downplayed by the companies.
The town closed several beaches to swimming on Tuesday, and upon reopening them Wednesday, said beachgoers should still exercise caution, wear appropriate footwear, and refrain from bringing their pets in light of possible fiberglass shards.
Good morning from Vineyard Wind turbine AW38.
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 18, 2024
This is the damaged turbine blade that has sent thousands of pieces of fiberglass & foam core onto Nantucket’s south shore.
The damaged blade is now in danger of detaching and falling into the sea. More debris came loose last night pic.twitter.com/oBA3FUXxKJ
Gaven Norton, the owner of a surf school on the island’s south shore, said his business was immediately compromised, with customers canceling their surf lessons on both days.
Company officials said they so far have seen no sign of other material releases, such as oil, into the water as a result of the blade damage.
As for lightning (which struck Saturday night in the region) playing a potential role, Renjith Viripullan, a GE engineer, said they so far have not observed any burn marks on the turbine, which would be evidence of a lightning strike to the structure. The turbines are also equipped with conductors meant to minimize the impact when struck.
Blade failure is not unprecedented. This year, there have been at least three reports of blade damage with wind projects overseas — both onshore and offshore — including a Siemens Gamesa blade in Norway and a Vestas blade in the United Kingdom.
A GE Haliade-X blade of the same model size, 13-megawatts, was damaged in May in the Dogger Bank offshore project in the United Kingdom. A preliminary statement said it was an isolated incident.
“We are aware of the Dogger Bank situation. We do have the assessment that it was an installation issue unique to the installation of that blade,” said GE’s Martella. “We don’t think there’s a connection between that installation issue and what we saw here in Vineyard Wind … we see those as very likely disconnected.”
Viripullan, the GE engineer, later clarified an “installation issue” pertains to how the blade component is “picked up.” A blade is lifted several times before installation offshore. It is loaded from a factory onto a heavy lift vessel, then offloaded at a staging terminal in New Bedford, and then loaded onto a barge before its final lift to the nacelle.
Brooke Mohr, select board chair, stressed to Vineyard Wind and GE officials the necessity that they continue to update the town, and to do so expeditiously.
“Our ability to respond as a community and communicate effectively to our residents was hampered greatly by the delay in that communication,” Mohr said. “I recognize … you followed your regulatory requirements. And I just want to state for the record it was inadequate for this community and hopefully you can answer us how that would be different in the future.”
Another board member suggested inviting federal officials, including BOEM, the lead regulator that issues key permits on the projects, to answer questions. As of Thursday morning, BOEM has not issued a public statement on the incident.
Vineyard Wind and GE officials on Wednesday night said they do not expect the nacelle (the turbine generator) will be damaged during detachment, but will monitor the situation.
“Vineyard Wind will continue to coordinate closely with its state, federal, local, and tribal partners to respond to this evolving situation while continuing to prioritize the safety of its personnel, its contractors, and the environment,” read an earlier statement.
A safety zone around the affected area remains in place.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
