Broken Vineyard Wind Turbine Scatters Debris Along Nantucket's South Shore; Wind Farm Operations Shut Down By Feds

Debris from a broken Vineyard Wind turbine blade washed up all over Nantucket's south shore Tuesday morning, prompting the offshore energy company to mount a cleanup effort and the federal government to shut down the wind farm "until further notice."

Residents began reporting pieces of green and white foam, along with larger pieces of what appears to fiberglass, along southern Nantucket beaches at daybreak, stretching from Madaket out to Nobadeer.

The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced Tuesday afternoon that Vineyard Wind's "operations are shut down until further notice."

All south shore beaches were closed to swimming by the town just after 11 a.m. as a result of the debris. There is no estimate for when they will be reopened.

"The water is closed to swimming on all south shore beaches, due to large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards," Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said. "You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches."

Vineyard Wind disclosed Monday that one of its turbine blades suffered damage Saturday during an "offshore incident." The exact nature of the incident is not yet known, but there were no injuries to any Vineyard Wind personnel or other mariners.

"The blade experienced a breakage approximately 20 meters out from the root," according to company spokesman Craig Gilvarg. "The turbine was in its commissioning phase and was still undergoing testing. Nearly the entirety of the blade remains affixed to the turbine and has not fallen into the water."

Vineyard Wind stated Tuesday that it is "mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island for the recovery of debris following the blade damage incident that took place on Saturday, July 13, 2024. In addition, Vineyard Wind remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area, and continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a safety zone of 500 meters around the impacted turbine offshore."

The company, which is owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables (a subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola), added that it would be deploying two teams of four individuals to remove the debris. It characterized the debris as "non-toxic fiberglass fragments" and even though they are "not hazardous to people or the environment," Vineyard Wind is recommending that only its recovery team handle the debris.

"Vineyard Wind is fully committed to a swift and safe recovery of all debris, with an unwavering focus on community safety and environmental protection," the company stated. "As part of its immediate action plan, Vineyard Wind communicated with officials on Nantucket to inform them of the presence of debris and recovery efforts on the southern-facing beaches of the island."

It's unclear how much that team was able to recover on Tuesday, but island lifeguards and citizens fanned out across the south shore to recover as much debris as possible. 

Below are photos of the debris captured by island residents Tuesday morning: 

Vineyard Wind's GE Haliade-X turbines that will be attached to the monopiles drilled into the sea floor will reach 853 feet in the air at the tip of the blade, each nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower. There will eventually be a total of 62 turbines constructed in the Vineyard Wind 1 lease area, and as of mid-July, 19 had been completed, with 10 operational.

It's unclear if the broken turbine is the result of a blade failure during operation, or some sort of impact during its installation.

Capt. Carl Bois, of the fishing charter Topspin out of Nantucket, was in the Vineyard Wind lease area on Sunday and told the Current he noticed a significant amount of debris.

“There was so much debris at the wind farm," Bois said. "We covered many miles and only saw the debris at the wind farm site: big sheets of fiberglass with foam core and lots of loose foam.”

Bois shared the following photos of the debris he saw on Sunday, which Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg has confirmed is from the damaged turbine blade and has been recovered.

"GE, as the project’s turbine and blade manufacturer and installation contractor, will now be conducting the analysis into the root cause of the incident," according to Vineyard Wind's statement. "As that analysis takes place, Vineyard Wind will continue working with federal, state, and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners, and the environment.”

The company further provided the following information in its release Tuesday morning:

• Deployment of Teams: Vineyard Wind is deploying two teams of four individuals to Nantucket to remove debris.
• Non-Toxic Debris: The debris consists of non-toxic fiberglass fragments ranging in size from small pieces to larger sections, typically green or white in color.
• Debris Size Estimate: Any potential debris washing ashore will be pieces 1 square foot or less, which should only be picked up and collected by patrol teams.
• Safety Precautions: Although the fiberglass fragments are not hazardous to people or the environment, Vineyard Wind recommends that only its employees or contractors collect and remove the debris.
• Beach Patrols: Starting today, July 16, 2024, and continuing for several days, Vineyard Wind will deploy trained individuals to walk the southern-facing beaches to collect debris. Patrol teams will inspect the areas in the morning and evening.
• Target Areas: Teams will visit Miacomet Beach and the Southeastern tip of Nantucket, including Nobadeer Beach, Madequecham Beach, Pebble Beach, Tom Nevers Beach, Low Beach, and Sconset Beach, or other areas where debris may wash ashore.
• Reporting Debris: If debris is found by members of the public, property owners, or town officials, they are advised to immediately contact:
  • Ian Campbell
  • Phone: 781-983-8943
  • Email: icampbell@vineyardwind.com
  • Reports of debris can also be sent directly to the cleanup contractor at this link: Recon Survey (NRCC) (arcgis.com).