NANTUCKET, Massachusetts — The federal government has ordered an offshore wind energy developer off Nantucket Island, a popular summer tourist destination in Massachusetts, to halt work after parts of a damaged turbine blade washed up on the beach.
A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Wednesday that operations at Vineyard Wind have been suspended until it can be determined whether the blade failure affects other turbine blades on the development. As a result, electricity production on the lease area has been suspended and installation of new wind turbine generator structures has also been put on hold.
Meanwhile, Nantucket officials said all of the island’s South Shore beaches have reopened after the company said it collected six truckloads of debris. The company said the debris consists of non-toxic fiberglass fragments and that any pieces that wash ashore will be one-square-foot or smaller.
“We are making progress in our debris removal efforts and are mobilizing additional resources across the island to expedite the cleanup as quickly as possible,” Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller said in a statement, asking people to report any debris sightings to the company or city officials and to not handle debris themselves. “The public can rest assured that we will be here as long as it takes to get the job done and ensure the beaches are cleaned up.”
Vineyard Wind said it is also working with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a 500-meter (1,640-foot) safety zone around the affected offshore turbine.
The region’s grid operator, ISO New England, said it was aware of the incident but there would be no consequences.
“New England’s electric system remains reliable,” Matthew Kakley, spokesman for ISO New England, said in a statement. “Our system operators are prepared for unforeseen system issues, including resource outages.”
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, said no personnel or third parties were near the turbine when the damage occurred. In a statement, it said the blade manufacturer and installation contractor GE “will now conduct an analysis into the root cause of the incident.”
Development huge wind turbines began supplying electricity to the grid last winter. It said it would deploy trained personnel to help collect the debris in the coming days