Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Continues To Crumble As Company Announces Removal Plan

Portions of Vineyard Wind's damaged blade that have been hanging from the turbine for nearly a month plunged into the ocean early Sunday morning amidst heavy winds in what the town of Nantucket described as a "controlled detachment."

The latest development at the wind farm 15 miles southwest of the island came as Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the turbine, announced a formal plan late Friday to remove the damaged blade from the turbine.

"Early this morning, portions of the remaining hanging sections of the Vineyard Wind turbine blade detached from the hub," the town of Nantucket announced in a statement released Sunday evening. "The controlled detachment follows a series of exercises conducted late last week to pitch the blade, which, in combination with storm winds, led to the safe separation of the sections below the root of the blade. Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova are currently assessing the situation to determine if any remaining sections pose a risk of detachment. The root of the blade, still attached to the turbine, is being monitored, and we are informed that plans are in place for its removal. Vineyard Wind has maritime crews on site to secure and contain any debris immediately."

Depending on wind direction, the town cautioned that more debris could potentially wash up on Nantucket beaches in the coming hours or days.

It was nearly one month ago that the Haliade-X turbine blade failed at the Vineyard Wind lease area southwest of Nantucket, sending thousands of pieces of fiberglass and styrofoam onto the island's beaches and the surrounding waters. The project remains shut down by the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, which is conducting a "comprehensive and independent investigation" into the incident. 

The news of additional sections of the damaged blade falling into the ocean came just two days after Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova announced a formal action plan to remove it from turbine AW-38, located in the southwest corner of the wind farm. Developed in consultation with federal agencies, the action plan is the result of "thousands of hours" of development, review, and testing, according to Vineyard Wind, to ensure the safe removal of the damaged blade.

"The blade removal operation entails four tasks developed in alignment with Resolve Marine, one of the world’s leading salvage companies: rotating the blade to reduce hanging blade and possible controlled cutting; removing the root of the blade from the hub; removing fallen debris from the platform; and addressing seabed debris," Vineyard Wind stated in a press release. 

The company also reemphasized the preliminary results of its root cause analysis of the turbine blade failure that cited a manufacturing deviation "which should have been identified through the quality assurance process at the blade manufacturing facility."

“From the start of this event, our response has been focused on the safety of everyone involved,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Møller. “As we move forward to this next phase and begin removing the remainder of the damaged blade, we will continue to safeguard the public and the environment through our robust land, air, and sea debris recovery system. Vineyard Wind is a critically important project for the region’s energy future, and delivering this project safely is our highest priority. We believe we have the right plan in place to recover the rest of the blade, secure any debris offshore and onshore, and safely and responsibly resume the installation program so we can put this project back on track to deliver needed clean power to the New England region.”

Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova's plan also included new details on the effort to re-inspect all of the blades sourced from the LM Wind Power factory in Gaspé, Canada, one of two locations where the Haliade-X blades are manufactured. LM Wind Power was acquired by GE Vernova for $1.65 billion in 2017.

GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik previously disclosed that his company would reinspect all 150 blades manufactured at the LM Wind plant in Canada by reviewing the radiography testing records, including those that have already been installed on 24 turbines at the Vineyard Wind lease area. On Friday, the companies specified that the process would include: reviewing 8,300 ultrasound testing records "to determine whether bond requirements are satisfied; 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.

“Our top imperative as a company is to work with our stakeholders on addressing the impacts of this blade event with thoroughness and urgency,” said GE Vernova Chief Sustainability Officer Roger Martella. “With safety first and foremost in our actions, our focus is on removing the remaining blade, assessing environmental and marine impacts, and executing a strong, three-point plan for blade performance so the project can succeed on its goals of providing sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy and jobs to New England.”