Construction and operation of the 806-MW Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off the southern coast of Massachusetts has been suspended by the U.S. interior Dept. while agency and developer experts probe how a blade on one of its giant 13.7-MW, 853-ft-high Haliade-X turbines failed on July 13, with debris washing up on beaches of Nantucket Island, 21 miles north

The estimated $3-billion project is being developed by Vineyard Wind, a joint venture of Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, with project start long delayed by the Trump administration's refusal to approve its construction plan. The project was approved early in the Biden Administration, with the first turbine installed by mid- 2023.

As of mid-July, installation of about 21 of its planned 62 turbines was completed, with 10 now operating to produce about 136 MW of power. The damaged turbine was still undergoing testing and was not in operation, the company said, with 47 turbine foundations now installed with their transition pieces.

“There were no injuries reported, but operations are shut down until further notice,” said the department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, adding that investigators are preparing "an analysis of the cause of the incident and next steps." The agency said all project power generation is suspended "until it can be determined whether the blade failure affects any other Vineyard Wind turbines," and that it "will conduct an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations.”

Vineyard Wind communications director Craig Gilvarg said turbine manufacturer and installation contractor GE Vernova "will now be conducting the analysis into the root cause of the incident.” He said the estimated 350-ft-long blade broke about 65 ft "from the root," although most of it is still "affixed to the turbine." The root connects the blade to the turbine’s rotor.

Cause of damage to GE Vernova wind turbine at 806-MW Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off southern Massachusetts (above), which sent debris washing up on beaches of nearby Nantucket Island, (right), is under investigation.                                                                                            Images: above, courtesy of Nantucket Current via X (Twitter); right, courtesy of Town of Nantucket X (Twitter)

The developer said it is "mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island for the recovery of debris"  and "remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area."  The firm is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a safety zone of 500 meters around the damaged turbine. Nantucket beaches initially closed—with officials describing "large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards"—and were reopened on July 17, Vineyard Wind said. 

Vineyard Wind said it has contracted Robert B. Our Co Inc., a Harwich, Mass., construction firm, and National Response Corp., an emergency response contractor, to lead cleanup operations. The developer said that as of July 17, it had removed 17 cu yd of debris.

GE Vernova termed the incident an “isolated blade event,” in a statement. The U.S.-based firm said its Fleet Performance Management team has "initiated our investigation protocols into the event in coordination with our customer.”

The Nantucket Current said it was told by Vineyard Wind that "three newly manufactured replacement blades were installed on this GE Vernova wind turbine after one of the original blades for the turbine was damaged during the lifting process and subsequently removed from the construction area."