Two Vineyard Wind Blades Were Shipped To France From New Bedford

Two Vineyard Wind turbine blades left the staging area at the Port of New Bedford last Friday, but they were not headed out to be installed at the wind farm.

Resting on the deck of the heavy lift vessel Rolldock Sun, the blades are instead on their way to Cherbourg, France, where Vineyard Wind's turbine provider, GE Vernova, has one of its two plants that manufacture blades for the Haliade-X turbines.

Could this mean Vineyard Wind has discovered additional defective blades? The reason for the shipment is not yet clear, as officials for both GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind have declined repeated requests for comment from the Current since last Saturday.

But the vessel was spotted carrying the two blades past the New Bedford hurricane barrier last Friday by a harbor camera, and vessel tracking websites show the Rolldock Sun now in the Atlantic Ocean on its way to France.

"Thanks for reaching out, but we are going to decline to comment," GE Vernova spokesman Tim Brown told the Current.

"Given the weekend, it has been slow to get details for your request," Vineyard Wind representative Drew O'Brien said in an email to the Current on Sunday. "We will let you know if we hear anything. Thanks for your patience."

The shipment was first spotted by M.L. Baron of the West Island Weather Station in Buzzards Bay. The Rolldock Sun had arrived in New Bedford earlier last week from Cherbourg, France, with four blades on its deck, according to the New Bedford Light. 

The Vineyard Wind project remains under a suspension order by the federal government following the disastrous turbine blade failure on July 13 that left Nantucket's beaches littered with styrofoam and fiberglass debris. That order was modified in August to allow Vineyard Wind to continue installing turbine towers and nacelles, but it is forbidden from producing power or installing blades.

The turbine blade failure at Vineyard Wind was blamed on a “manufacturing deviation” - specifically insufficient bonding of the blade materials - that occurred at the LM Wind Power factory in Gaspé, Canada, the other location where the Haliade-X turbine blades are manufactured. LM Wind Power was acquired by GE Vernova for $1.65 billion in 2017.

Following the blade failure in July, GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind announced all of the 150 turbine blades manufactured for the project so far - including those already installed on the 24 turbines constructed to date - would be re-inspected by reviewing the radiography testing records. The companies stated that the plan would include reviewing 8,300 ultrasound images, visual inspection of the blades with remote-controlled wheeled drones known as "crawlers" equipped with video cameras that can be inserted into the blades, and a new algorithm using existing sensors within the blades to monitor their health and provide warnings if trouble is detected.

GE Vernova has previously stated that the "vast majority" of Vineyard Wind blades were sourced from the LM Wind Power plant in Canada. But an unknown number of blades were also manufactured at the plant in Cherbourg, France, where an “operational incident” in April 2024 reduced production capacity and resulted in damage to one of the moulds used to produce components for the Haliade-X turbines.

The Rolldock Sun and other heavy lift vessels have been a familiar sight at the Port of New Bedford over the past year, where they have been delivering blades - typically three at a time - to the 30-acre Marine Commerce Terminal that serves as the staging area for the turbine components before they are transported by barge out to the wind farm 15 miles southwest of Nantucket.

Nearly three months after the Vineyard Wind turbine blade broke, sending thousands of pieces of debris into the water, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement (BSEE) has yet to announce the results of its investigation into the incident.

Sources told the Current late last week that the federal agency is requiring Vineyard Wind to conduct a study of the environmental harm and other impacts of the blade failure - separate from the initial assessment provided by GE Vernova in late July - and that the suspension order might not be lifted or modified before the end of the year.

At the only other place in the world where GE Vernova's Haliade X turbines are being installed - the Dogger Bank Wind farm off the coast of England - there have already been two blade failures so far this year.

The Dogger Bank Wind Farm - slated to become the world's largest offshore wind farm when it is completed - disclosed the latest incident in August on its website, stating, "We are aware of a blade failure which occurred this morning on an installed turbine at Dogger Bank A offshore wind farm, which is currently under construction. In line with safety procedures, the surrounding marine area has been restricted and relevant authorities notified. No one was injured or in the vicinity at the time the damage was sustained. We are working closely with the turbine manufacturer, GE Vernova, which has initiated an investigation into the cause of the incident."

The first GE Vernova Haliade-X turbine was installed at Dogger Bank in the fall of 2023 and began producing power on Oct. 10. But little is known about the first blade failure that occurred just months later in May 2024. The damaged blade was disclosed by Dogger Bank’s owners - SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Vårgrønn - a week after the incident, and construction has resumed.

"We are working with urgency to scrutinize our operations across offshore wind," GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik told investors in July. "Pace matters here. But we are going to be thorough instead of rushed."