Construction and operation of the 800 MW Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off the south coast of Massachusetts has been suspended by the U.S. Department of the Interior while agency experts and developers study how a blade failed. one of its giant 13 MW Haliade-X turbines. on July 13, with debris washing up on the beaches of Nantucket Island, 21 miles to the north
The project is being developed by Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. As of mid-July, about 21 of the planned 62 turbines have been completed, with 10 operating to produce about 136 MW of power. The damaged turbine was still undergoing testing and was not operational.
“There were no injuries, but operations are closed until further notice,” the department’s Office of Safety and Environmental Compliance said, adding that investigators are preparing “an analysis of the cause of the incident and next steps.”
Vineyard Wind communications director Craig Gilvarg said turbine manufacturer and installation contractor GE Vernova “will now conduct a root cause analysis of the incident.” He said the blade broke about 65 feet “from the root,” and most of it was still “stuck in the turbine.”
The developer said yes “Mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to screen the south-facing beaches of the island for debris recovery” and “remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area. The company is working with the US Coast Guard to maintain a 500-meter safety zone around the damaged Nantucket turbine were initially closed, with officials describing “large floating debris and sharp pieces of fiberglass” and reopen July 17, Vineyard Wind said.
GE Vernova called the incident an “isolated blade event,” in a statement. The US-based company said its Fleet Performance Management team has “initiated our investigation protocols into the event in coordination with our customer”.
The cause of damage to the GE Vernova wind turbine at the 806 MW Vineyard Wind offshore wind project in southern Massachusetts (above) is under investigation, sending debris onto beaches on the nearby island of Nantucket, (right) . Images: Above, courtesy of Nantucket Current via X (Twitter); right, courtesy of Town of Nantucket X (Twitter)
The Nantucket Current said the company said “three newly manufactured replacement blades were installed on this GE Vernova wind turbine after one of the original blades on the wind turbine was damaged during the lifting process and subsequently removed from the construction zone”.
The developer said it has hired Robert B. Our, a local construction company, and National Resource Corp., an emergency response contractor, to lead cleanup operations. Vineyard Wind said it had removed 17 cubic meters of debris as of July 17.
