More debris enters water at Vineyard Wind farm as damaged turbine blade deteriorates

As Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Møller apologized to the Nantucket community Wednesday night for his company's damaged offshore turbine blade that has scattered debris across the island's south shore beaches, more trouble was brewing at the wind farm 15 miles southwest of Nantucket.

After getting grilled by island residents for more than an hour about the unfolding disaster, Møller abruptly left the building after being informed that "there was a development to the integrity of the blade."

He departed the island aboard a Leonardo helicopter to attend to the situation while those in attendance waited in suspense for an update.

An hour later it came: the integrity of the blade - which was hanging parallel to the turbine after last Saturday's incident - had become further compromised, and more debris had been observed falling into the water.

“This evening there was an observed compromise to the integrity of the GE Vernova blade," Vineyard Wind's Jen Cullen told the Select Board and those in attendance. “While part of the blade remains attached to the turbine, we believe there is an increased possibility it could detach soon. 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 mobilized our response team and have also witnessed new debris enter the water.”

Before his departure, Møller confirmed that the safety zone is purely navigational and does not involve any physical barrier. There is a single boom ship, similar to those used in oil spill cleanups, in the vicinity, but Møller admitted that he does not know if it will be able to prevent debris from escaping the perimeter and reaching Nantucket.

Cullen confirmed that the ship has been deployed but said she couldn’t answer as to how efficient it would be. It remains possible that additional debris will wash up on Nantucket’s shores in the coming days, potentially causing further beach closures and disruption to local businesses.

“We need to know immediately the direction it’s heading and the ETA of its arriving here,” Select Board Chair Brooke Mohr said, calling its arrival “inevitable.”

It is impossible to say at this stage when or where the debris may arrive, and Vineyard Wind’s models have proven unreliable.

"Vineyard Wind is in the process of notifying the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the National Response Center, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Tribal nations, Regional Emergency Planning Committees for Dukes and Barnstable Counties, the Town of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and surrounding coastal communities,” Cullen added.

The new development came as island residents expressed their outrage over the situation that left island beaches strewn with fiberglass shards and green/white foam - more than six truckloads worth. Vineyard Wind has characterized the debris as non-toxic, a characterization the Select Board rejects.

Without Møller, a short-handed Vineyard Wind team struggled to offer any information to the Select Board and the public.