More debris from the broken turbine blade in theVineyard Windoffshore project has fallen into the ocean, and was expected to reach Martha's Vineyard, the company reported Wednesday afternoon.
After an alert issued Tuesday by the town of Nantucket advised the public that small debris washup — mostly popcorn-sized pieces of foam — was anticipated on the island on Wednesday and Thursday, but new models based on shifting winds on Wednesday suggested that foam and other debris is "more likely to be visible on Martha’s Vineyard, rather than being concentrated on the south beaches of Nantucket," Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg advised in an email late Wednesday afternoon.
The company on Wednesday mobilized personnel, contractors and resources on the Vineyard "to quickly identify and collect any foam and other debris that may appear on the island," he said.
Teams were also working on Nantucket to collect any debris that may arrive.
As of 3:50 p.m. Wednesday, Gilvarg reported the company had already received some confirming reports of foam at Martha’s Vineyard, including on Norton’s Point and South Beach. The debris, he said, is "limited to small, popcorn-sized pieces of foam."
Crews are surveying both locations, in addition to Wasque Beach on the southern tip and eastern side of Chappaquiddick, and Menemsha on the northwestern side of the Vineyard, in coordination with Gay Head (Aquinnah) tribal leaders. So far, according to Gilvarg, "very limited debris" has been found on the beaches and has been recovered.
The company also received a report on Monday of some debris on the south side of Cuttyhunk Island, which was removed on Tuesday, he said.
On Monday, several pieces of the football field-sized, GE Vernova-manufactured blade that began breaking apart on July 13 detached from the hub. Some large sections sank to the seafloor at the base of the turbine. Smaller pieces of debris fell onto the turbine platform, and other pieces fell into the ocean.
"The anticipated detachment was planned and was the result of GE Vernova’s process of turning the rotor to position it more safely for removal," Gilvarg said Wednesday.
Some "limited fiberglass fragments" are also possibly mixed into the floating debris. According to Nantucket officials, Vineyard Wind crews are searching for the remaining GE Vernova blade debris using vessels offshore and collecting what is found.
Washed up since July 13 blade collapse
Since the July 13 failure of the blade, remnants of varying sizes, consisting of fiberglass, foam and balsa wood, have washed up on Nantucket, and the nearby islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget.
Debris has also been recovered from waters about 3.5 miles off Monomoy in Chatham and has been reported in waters west of Martha's Vineyard. Residents on Cape Cod's south side have also reported finding suspected pieces of debris, though Vineyard Wind reports no debris has been positively identified on south- or east-facing beacheson the Cape. Residents of Barnstable said they sent samples of suspected debris to a lab on Monday for analysis and are awaiting results.
New detachments from turbine expected
GE Vernova, which is also the installation contractor for the Vineyard Wind project, told local officials that the additional detachment of pieces on Monday was not unexpected. The company has hiredResolve Marine — the same firm that cleaned up after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore — and is working on a plan to safely remove remaining portions of the football field-sized blade. According to Nantucket leaders' daily update on Tuesday, the plan is currently in development.
Federal suspension order revised, clarified
In the meantime, the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement on Friday issued a revisedsuspension order to Vineyard Wind requiring the company to submit an analysis of the risk to workers and mitigation measures developed prior to anyone boarding any of the turbines.
The order also reiterates that the company is prohibited from "generating electricity from any of the facilities or building any additional wind turbine generator towers, nacelles, or blades."
However, in response to questions raised by town officials and the public, the agency noted that Vineyard Wind can still undertake other activities, like installing inter-array cables and conducting surveys outside of the damaged turbine’s safety exclusion zone.
'Comprehensive' investigation underway
The federal safety bureau is conducting a "comprehensive and independent" investigation into the cause of the blade's failure amid public criticism about the safety, testing, and reliability of the technology.
An initial assessment by GE Vernova points to a manufacturing problem as the root cause of the blade's collapse, specifically insufficient bonding that was not caught by quality control at its factory in Gaspe, Canada.
The GE blades, the largest yet made for wind energy production, are also components of turbines under construction at theDogger Bank A offshore wind farmin the North Sea off the coast of Yorkshire, England. In May, one of the blades in that project also failed, though GE Vernova engineers say that was caused by "an installation error at sea."
"There is no indication of an engineering design flaw in the blade or information connectingthis blade event to the blade event we experienced at an offshore wind project in the UK," a GE Vernova spokesperson stated in a July 26 email. "Our investigation is ongoing, and we are working with urgency to scrutinize our blade manufacturing and quality assurance program across offshore wind."
"We have work to do, but we are confident in our ability to implement corrective actions and move forward," the spokesperson stated.
GE Vernova is also facing outcry and legal action related to turbines supplied to American Electric Power in Oklahoma, according to Bloomberg.
Fishermen 'remain gravely concerned'
Here in New England, the fallen blade has raised concerns in the fishing community.
“The Vineyard Wind blade disaster has confirmed fishermen’s worst fears about offshore wind. Massive fiberglass shards remain a huge navigational hazard for our members," said New England Fisherman's Stewardship Association CEO Jerry Leeman in a statement on Tuesday.
He added that the organization's members "remain gravely concerned that micro-particlesfrom fiberglass debris could poison local marine life. Worse still, we are still awaiting answers from the developer."
The fishermen's concerns, and those of others concerned about the effects on the marine ecosystem, are under investigation byArcadis, a Dutch design and engineering firm hired by GE Vernova to assess the mishap's effect on the environment.
At present 24 of 62 planned turbines are in place in the Vineyard Wind lease area south of Martha's Vineyard and southwest of Nantucket, with a total of 72 blades installed. At least 10 of the turbines were commissioned and operational, the remainder, including the turbine with the broken blade, were still undergoing testing.
How to report debris
Nantucket officials continue to stress that residents should not put any debris into their home garbage or bring it to the landfill.
All found debris, no matter the size, should be reported to Vineyard Wind's hotline for collection, so the pieces can be analyzed and properly disposed of.
"Only trained employees or contractors are responsible for collecting and removing the debris," the town emphasizes on its website.
To report debris, call 833-609-5768or fill out the form attinyurl.com/reportVWdebris
Editor's note: This story was updated on July 31, 2024, to provide new information on where blade debris was expected.
Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT
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