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U.S. Coast Guard Issues Warning After Wind Turbine Blade Breaks Off at Vineyard Wind Farm
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July 18, 2024
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The U.S. Coast Guard has advised mariners to exercise extreme caution following reports of a 300-foot-long piece of debris in the water near where an offshore wind turbine blade broke off at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm off Nantucket, Rhode Island.
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partner, reported that the turbine blade broke off Thursday morning, following a blade failure on Saturday. Debris has since washed ashore in Nantucket, leading to the closure of some beaches.
“This morning, a significant part of the remaining GE Vernova blade detached from the turbine. Maritime crews were onsite overnight preparing to respond to this development, though current weather conditions create a difficult working environment. Despite these challenging weather conditions, a fleet of vessels remains at sea managing the situation and working to remove bulk debris. We have deployed additional crews to Nantucket Island in anticipation that more debris could wash ashore tonight and tomorrow as we continue to monitor additional coastal communities,” Vineyard Wind said in a statement Thursday.
“We are staying apprised of GE Vernova’s efforts to manage the situation, including the removal and recovery of the remaining blade attached to the turbine. With public officials, we will continue to keep the islands informed of developments as we work closely with state, federal, local, and tribal partners to respond to this evolving situation, with the safety of our personnel, the public, and the environment as our highest priority,” the statement added.
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has issued a Suspension Orderto Vineyard Wind, halting all power production and new construction of wind turbines due to the blade failure. Operations will remain suspended until further notice. Additionally, a Preservation Order has been issued to protect evidence related to the incident.
BSEE has been onsite with Vineyard Wind as investigations are underway and will conduct an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations.
The Vineyard Wind project, located 15 miles off Martha’s Vineyard, connects to the New England grid using underground cables to a substation on Cape Cod. The project delivered its first powerto the grid in January, with one turbine generating approximately five megawatts of power. As of June, the project had 10 turbines in operation.
Once completed, the wind farm will feature 62 GE Haliade-X wind turbines, which are among the largest in the world. Combined, they will have capacity to generate 806 MW of power, enough electricity for over 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.
Vineyard Wind made history in May 2021 by becoming the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. to receive federal approval. Construction began in late 2022, achieving a significant milestone in June 2023 with the first “steel-in-the-water” and completing the nation’s first offshore substation in July 2023.
Fiberglass and Foam Continue to Wash Ashore After 117-Yard Turbine Blade Broke Apart in Nation’s “First Large-Scale Offshore Wind Farm”
By Libby PalanzaJuly 23, 2024
Vineyard Wind US — a joint venture of Central Maine Power (CMP) parent company Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners — has come under heightened scrutiny after one of its wind turbines was significantly damaged earlier this month, causing a blade the size of a football field to break apart into the water.
In response, the Nantucket Select Board has taken steps to consider legal action against Vineyard Wind for the damage, which has scattered fiberglass and other debris throughout the ocean and surrounding beaches.
A 107-meter — or approximately 117-yard — blade on one of the turbines reportedly broke last Saturday about 20 meters from its root but still remained largely attached. This past Thursday, however, a large chunk of the blade fell off into the water.
[RELATED: CMP Parent Company’s Offshore Wind Turbine Creates Environmental Disaster Off New England Coast]
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has issued a suspension order directing Vineyard Wind “to cease power production from all its wind turbine generators” — as well as all further construction — until it can be determined if the “failure” that caused the damage impacts any of the project’s other turbines.
The project, located 14 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, had previously been heralded as the “first large-scale offshore wind farm in the nation.”
As a result of the broken turbine blade, fiberglass debris was scattered in the water and has begun washing up on the shores of Nantucket and other nearby islands. Debris has also recently been found on Cape Cod.
On Tuesday of last week, Nantucket closed its beaches for swimming as “large quantities” of sharp, non-toxic fiberglass and insulation foam were collected. The town was able to reopen the beaches to the public on Wednesday.
[RELATED: Vineyard Wind US Offshore Wind Turbine Breaks Apart, Scatters Debris Off New England Coast]
Despite being labeled as non-toxic, Nantucket’s state representative Dylan Fernandes told the Nantucket Current that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection intends to test the debris to determine “any potential public and environmental health impacts.”
The Nantucket Land and Water Council has also expressed concerns over the long-term consequences of the wind turbine’s breakage, as well as the precipitating debris.
“The unintended release of foam and fiberglass debris by Vineyard Wind this week is tragic,” the group wrote in a statement to the Nantucket Current. “The material is absolutely harmful and damaging to our waters and our environment.”
“It will ultimately be ingested by fish and wildlife and this type of industrial accident often comes with a cascade of other impacts which we may not see or understand for months or years,” they said.
“This is an unacceptable outcome of the development of wind in Nantucket’s offshore waters with serious and unknown ramifications,” the group concluded.
“This is an unacceptable outcome of the development of wind in Nantucket’s offshore waters with serious and unknown ramifications.”
– this from the Nantucket Land & Water Council, which is celebrating 50 years as the island’s environmental watchdog this year
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 19, 2024
According to an update posted Monday morning by Nantucket officials, about a quarter of the blade remains upright on the turbine, and approximately half of it is still hanging down. The portion of the blade that fell off Thursday has now been located, but it has not yet been retrieved.
NBC Boston reported that as of Monday, more than six truckloads worth of fiberglass debris have been removed from the Nantucket shoreline.
The Vineyard Gazette reported that it took Vineyard Winds about 48 hours to alert Nantucket that debris from the turbine blade was headed toward the island, prompting residents to express concerns during a meeting held this past Wednesday.
“This community would have been much better prepared in terms of communicating to our residents about the impending risk before it became an actual risk, with debris on our beaches,” said Select Board Chair Brooke Mohr. “I just want to state for the record, it was inadequate for this community.”
A notice posted to the Town of Nantucket’s official website indicated that the Select Board will be meeting Tuesday in Executive Session to “discuss strategy with respect to potential litigation…by the Town against Vineyard Wind.”
At this time, it remains unclear what caused the turbine’s blade to malfunction.
According to the Vineyard Gazette, however, “the company had installed three newly manufactured replacement blades on this particular turbine after one of the original blades was damaged during the lifting process and subsequently removed from the construction areas.”
Officials told the outlet that the broken blade was one of these replacements.
Roger Martella — the Chief Sustainability Officer at installation contractor GE Vernova — rejected assertions that the two incidents are related. “We don’t think there’s a connection between that installation issue and what we saw here in Vineyard Wind,” he said.
The Vineyard Wind project was originally designed to have a total of 62, 800-foot tall turbines, which is just less than a football field taller than the Seattle Space Needle.
Prior to the blade breaking, 22 of these turbines were either completed or under construction. Those that were operational had begun producing power this past winter.
Surprise, surprise:
Nothing said about where and by whom these blades were manufactured, nor designed and to wo’s specifications. (??)
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