“Could detach soon:” Turbine blade failure shuts down pioneering US offshore wind farm

The first commercial-scale offshore wind farm to be built in the United States has suffered a setback after a blade from one of its massive 13MW Haliade-X turbines crumpled, leaving debris in the water and washing up on Nantucket beaches.

The turbine blade suffered a malfunction over the weekend at Vineyard Wind – an 800MW, 62 turbine project joint venture between Avangrid, a member of the Iberdrola Group, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. No injuries have been recorded.

In the latest of numerous updates since the July 13 incident, Vineyard Wind said on Wednesday it believed there was “an increased possibility” the increasingly compromised 107 metre turbine blade could detach completely and fall into the water.

“While part of the blade remains attached to the turbine, we believe there is an increased possibility it could detach soon,” the update says.

“There has been a 500-meter safety zone implemented around the turbine and GE Vernova blade since Saturday night, and it has been under constant surveillance.

“We have mobilised our response team and have also witnessed new debris enter the water.”

The incident comes less than a year after the first of the huge GE Vernova turbines was installed at the pioneering project, located roughly 24km off the coast of Massachusetts.

First power from the wind farm was marked in January and the installation of turbine number 22 was to have got underway this month. Operations have now been shut down while investigations get underway into what caused the damage to the blade.

In an earlier update, Vineyard Wind said it had successfully recovered three large fragments of turbine blade and was monitoring the offshore area for any more debris with aerial overflights, vessel patrols and recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the island’s beaches.

The statement says the debris consists of non-toxic fiberglass fragments ranging in size from small pieces to larger sections of one square foot or less, which should only be picked up and collected by patrol teams.

“Although the fiberglass fragments are not hazardous to people or the environment, Vineyard Wind recommends that only its employees or contractors collect and remove the debris,” it says.

“Vineyard Wind will continue to coordinate closely with its state, federal, local, and tribal partners to respond to this evolving situation while continuing to prioritize the safety of its personnel, its contractors, and the environment.”