Vineyard Wind is developing a process for financial claims in response to the recent turbine blade crisis. Cleanup efforts are ongoing, with more debris found in the ocean south of Nantucket over a week after the blade failure. Some debris has washed up on Nantucket’s beaches, while others have been spotted near Cape Cod.
On Monday afternoon, two larger debris pieces were identified near Beach Access points 31B and 31C and were promptly removed early this morning. Continuous monitoring of Muskeget and Tuckernuck Islands is being conducted, with bird monitors assisting in the search for debris. Crews are dedicated to collecting blade debris from the water and along the South Side beaches throughout the day.
Vineyard Wind utilized helicopters over the weekend to monitor the areas around Chatham and Monomoy for further debris.
The Vineyard Wind project, which began supplying energy to the New England grid in January, employs turbines manufactured by Cambridge-based GE Vernova. Damage to one of the blades was discovered on the night of July 13, but GE is still investigating the cause.
Located approximately 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Vineyard Wind is owned by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. To date, 24 turbines have been installed. When fully operational, this project will be the first major offshore wind farm in the United States, featuring 62 turbines with a total capacity of about 806 megawatts—enough to power approximately 400,000 homes.
Due to the blade damage, power production and further turbine installations have been suspended following an order from the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued last week. The bureau reiterated that it has personnel onsite with Vineyard Wind conducting an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations.
The damaged turbine is a GE Haliade-X, with blades approximately 351 feet long. Vineyard Wind reported that the initial damage was observed about 65 feet from the blade’s root. A Massachusetts Clean Energy Center spokesperson noted that this GE turbine model was tested at its Wind Turbine Testing Center in Charlestown. However, the damaged blade was not among those tested.
This incident is not the first involving GE Vernova-manufactured blades. In May, a blade on the same model was damaged at the Dogger Bank wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of the United Kingdom. Additionally, according to Reuters, several onshore wind turbines made by GE Vernova in Germany and Sweden have experienced failures in recent years.
ISO New England assures that the region’s power system remains reliable despite the Vineyard Wind turbine incident, with operators prepared for unexpected issues.
