Vineyard wind turbine damaged over the weekend

A Vineyard Wind turbine blade was damaged over the weekend, prompting an investigation into the cause. 

The offshore wind energy company, which is in the middle of constructing a 62-turbine wind farm about 14 miles south of the Vineyard, said a turbine blade sustained damage on Saturday. 

The company did not comment on the extent of the damage and said no staff or third party contractors were in the area at the time. 

“As part of its permitting, Vineyard Wind has detailed plans to guide its response to incidents such as this,” said Vineyard wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg. “Following those protocols, Vineyard Wind established a safety perimeter, and worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to issue notice to mariners.”

The Vineyard Wind turbines are over 800 feet tall, with blades as long as a football field. As of last month, Vineyard Wind had 10 turbines in operation, generating about 136 megawatts of power. 

The company did not say Monday if the broken blade was on one of the operating turbines or one of the dozen or so turbines that are currently under construction. 

The turbines are manufactured by GE Vernova and the company is responsible for the turbines as they are initially installed, Vineyard Wind officials have previously said. 

In the statement Monday, Vineyard Wind said GE Vernova will now be conducting the investigation into what went wrong. 

“GE, as the project’s turbine and blade manufacturer and installation contractor, will now be conducting the analysis into the root cause of the incident,” Mr. Gilvarg said.

The issue was isolated to a single turbine, which was shut down, according to a GE Vernova spokesperson. 

After the breakdown Saturday, Vineyard Wind said it was working with the U.S. Coast Guard to warn mariners. 

A Coast Guard spokesperson Monday said it was working with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and had continuing concerns about navigation in the area. 

Officials with BSEE and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the latter of which permits offshore energy projects in the U.S., did not immediately comment on the incident Monday afternoon. 

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said it was briefed on the incident and the planned safety plan, but a spokesperson did not give details on the damage. 

“There is a rigorous, federally approved safety process in place and we will continue to monitor the situation closely as Vineyard Wind, GE, and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement conduct an analysis of the cause and their next steps,” said spokesperson Maria Hardiman. “We are grateful to the trained personnel who addressed the situation so quickly.” 

Vineyard Wind currently is the largest offshore wind energy project in the U.S., one of several approved for a wide swath of ocean to the Island’s south. 

The company is a partnership between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and has an operations headquarters and marine terminal along Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. 

Mr. Gilvarg did not return a request for further comment, but in his statement said the offshore wind energy company was working to make sure the area is safe. 

“As that analysis takes place, Vineyard Wind will continue working with federal, state, and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners, and the environment,” he said.