GE Blames "Manufacturing Deviation" For Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Failure Off Nantucket

GE Vernova, the company that built the Vineyard Wind turbine that suffered a blade failure earlier this month, cited a "manufacturing deviation" at a factory in Canada as the cause of the incident and vowed to reinspect all 150 blades produced at the plant.

The remarks from GE Vernova's leadership team on Wednesday came during the company's second-quarter earnings conference call with investors and represented its first comments on the incident since the blade failed on July 13th.

After debris from the blade began washing up on Nantucket's south shore beaches two days later, the Vineyard Wind project was shut down by the federal government, and the company continues to investigate the cause of the incident.

"While we continue to work to finalize our root cause analysis, our investigation to date indicates that the affected blade experienced a manufacturing deviation," said GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik. "We have not identified information indicating an engineering design flaw in the blade or information of a connection with the blade event we experienced at an offshore wind project in the UK, which was caused by an installation error out at sea. We are working with urgency to scrutinize our operations across offshore wind. Pace matters here. But we are going to be thorough, instead of rushed."

Strazik was referring to an earlier blade incident at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm project off the northeast coast of England. That project is also installing GE Vernova's Haliade-X turbines, the largest offshore wind turbine model in the world.

The manufacturing deviation specific to the Vineyard Wind turbine blade that failed off Nantucket occurred at the LM Wind Power factory in Gaspé, Canada, Strazik added. LM Wind Power is owned by GE Vernova.

Blades for GE Vernova's Haliade-X turbines are also manufactured at LM Wind Power's Cherbourg production facility in Cotentin, France. In April, that factory suffered an “operational incident” that resulted in damage to one of the moulds used at the site to produce components for the Haliade-X platform.

Strazik added that there was no timetable for concluding the investigation or restarting the Vineyard Wind project.

"It’s been 11 days since the event, and just to reinforce from the start, we have no indications of an engineering design flaw," Strazik said. "We have identified a material deviation or a manufacturing deviation in one of our factories that, through the inspection or quality assurance process, we should have identified. Because of that, we’re going to use our existing data and reinspect all of the blades we’ve made for offshore wind. For context, this factory in Gaspé, Canada where the material deviation existed we’ve made about 150 blades. That gives you an indication and context of the work ahead. But to be clear, this is work we know how to do. The industry uses non-destructive testing - think ultrasound, think radiologists, but for a blade - to identify deviations. We're going to go do this on every blade. A prudent, thorough process. We’re not going to talk about the timeline today. We have work to do. I have a high degree of confidence we can do this and we’ll do it in support of the customer and the agency."

In an SEC filing by GE Vernova on Wednesday, the company stated it was unsure when the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) will lift its suspension order for the project. It also disclosed that it anticipates being on the hook for the costs related to the incident moving forward.

"Under our contractual arrangement with the developer of Vineyard Wind, we may
receive claims for damages, including liquidated damages for delayed completion, and other incremental or remedial costs," the company stated. "These amounts could be significant and adversely affect our cash collection timelines and contract profitability. We are currently unable to reasonably estimate what impact the event, any potential claims, or the related BSEE order would have on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows."

Meanwhile, the clean-up and debris recovery operations on Nantucket and in the waters surrounding the island continue. Vineyard Wind and GE have multiple vessels at sea searching and recovering the pieces of fiberglass and styrofoam-like material released from the blade, as well as helicopters in the air, and a team of more than 50 people (including hired contractors) on the ground on Nantucket.

Late Tuesday night, the town released the initial environmental assessment of the incident completed by Arcadis, an engineering and design firm hired by GE Vernova.

Vineyard Wind and GE officials are expected back at tonight's Nantucket Select Board meeting to brief town officials and the public on their response to the situation.