The beautiful beaches of Nantucket Island, the preferred summer spot of the very wealthy, were shut down when debris from a failed wind turbine washed ashore. The fiberglass shards and other flotsam came from a 351-foot windmill blade from Vineyard Wind, a green energy array of 10 units 15 miles off the Massachusetts Coast.
Launching a cleanup effort in coordination with local authorities, Vineyard crews picked up about 17 cubic yards of debris, enough to fill six truckloads. Several larger pieces were also removed. The broken blade’s fiberglass was considered a hazard, leading to the closure of seven of the island’s public beaches.
Reaffirming its “commitment to the prompt and full clean-up of debris on Nantucket following the blade damage,” Vineyard officials said they will “remain in close communication with Nantucket officials and continue to prioritize the safety of the island’s residents and visitors.”
Three dozen Vineyard crew members scoured the beaches under the watchful eye of the Nantucket Police Department, Nantucket Land Bank, and the Harbormaster. The company, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, promised to keep at it until all the debris is removed.
The broken GE Haliade-X blade sat on an 815-foot tower, nearly three times the height of the Statue of Liberty. Each unit is capable of providing power to about 6,000 homes and businesses.
“We’re grateful to the entire island community as we work to clean up Nantucket’s beaches as quickly as possible,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller in the days after the incident, which occurred July 13. “We’re making progress in the debris recovery efforts and mobilizing even more resources on the island to hasten the cleanup as quickly as possible. We continue to ask that members of the public avoid handling any of the debris but report any debris sightings to Vineyard Wind or town officials for recovery. The public can have confidence that we will be here as long as it takes to get the job done and make sure the beaches are cleaned up.”
Vineyard Wind said it will bag, track, and transport all debris off the island and to proper storage. They have also mobilized a shorebird team to visually monitor state-listed and protected avian species. “The monitors will escort any vehicle supporting debris removal in the vicinity of state-listed or protected species nests,” Vineyard officials noted.
The accident comes as Sunrise Wind marked the groundbreaking of its effort to construct up to 84 turbines 30 miles off Montauk Point. While Vineyard Wind is the largest currently producing offshore wind field in the U.S.—just edging out South Fork Wind, which just recently went online—Sunrise will be the nation’s largest. Company officials declined to comment on the Vineyard incident and its potential impact on the burgeoning industry.
Federal regulators ordered construction to stop at the Vineyard site until the blade failure can be fully investigated. This is not the first incident with the GE Haliade-X blades. A breakage previously occurred at the Dogger Bank A site off the UK coast. Sunrise Wind is expected to use SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines with blades supplied by Siemens Gamesa.