Cleanup Underway On Nantucket After Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Breaks

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA — The Nantucket shoreline was littered with debris from a broken wind turbine blade. Officials from Vineyard Wind confirmed it was from one of their offshore turbines.

Company officials said the turbine damage happened on Saturday, prompting a response and cleanup efforts from the company but also closing swimming at south shore beaches on the island.

Vineyard Wind's "operations are shut down until further notice," the federal Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement said this week.

Vineyard Wind, which is run as a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, issued this statement on Monday:

“On Saturday evening, Vineyard Wind experienced blade damage on a wind turbine in its offshore development area. No personnel or third parties were in the vicinity of the turbine at the time, and all employees of Vineyard Wind and its contractors are safe and secure. As part of its permitting, Vineyard Wind has detailed plans to guide its response to incidents such as this. Following those protocols, Vineyard Wind established a safety perimeter, and worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to issue notice to mariners. 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. As that analysis takes place, Vineyard Wind will continue working with federal, state, tribal, and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners, and the environment.”

Then, on Tuesday, the company announced 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."

Vineyard Wind is deploying "trained individuals" to walk the southern-facing beaches to collect debris. Patrol teams will inspect the areas in the morning and evening.

These 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.

The company said it recovered three large fragments and is continuing to monitor the offshore area for floating debris with aerial overflights and vessel patrols.

Vineyard Wind and the U.S. Coast Guard are also maintaining a safety zone of 500 meters around the impacted turbine offshore, officials said.

As for the beaches on the south shore, Nantucket officials have closed them to swimming and have yet to provide a range for reopening.

The harbormaster told the Nantucket Current that the decision was made due to "large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards."

Residents and visitors can still walk the beaches, but it's advised they do so with shoes on due to the debris.