Broken Wind Turbine in Vineyard Scatters Debris Along Nantucket’s South Shore

Debris from a broken Vineyard wind turbine blade washed up along Nantucket’s southern shore Tuesday morning, and the offshore energy company announced a cleanup effort that includes sending a crew to the island.

Residents began reporting green and white foam, as well as larger pieces of what appeared to be fiberglass, along Nantucket’s southern beaches around daybreak, stretching from Madaket to Nobadeer. All south shore beaches were closed to swimming by the town shortly after 11 a.m. due to the debris. It’s unclear when they will reopen.

“Swimming is prohibited on all south shore beaches due to large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards,” Nantucket Harbor Master Sheila Lucey said. “You can walk on the beaches, but we strongly recommend wearing shoes due to the presence of sharp fiberglass and debris on the beaches.”

Vineyard Wind said Monday that one of its wind turbine blades was damaged Saturday in an “incident at sea.” The exact nature of the incident is not yet known, but no Vineyard Wind personnel or other sailors were injured.

“The blade broke about 20 meters from its base,” said Craig Gilvarg, a company spokesman. “The turbine was in the commissioning phase and was still being tested. Almost the entire blade remained attached to the turbine and did not fall into the water.”

Vineyard Wind said Tuesday that it is “mobilizing debris recovery teams to Nantucket to survey the south-facing beaches of the island for debris following the blade damage incident that occurred on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Additionally, Vineyard Wind remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area, and continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a 500-meter safety zone around the impacted offshore wind turbine.”

The company, which is owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Avangrid Renewables (a subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola), added that it would deploy two teams of four people to remove the debris. It called the debris “non-toxic fiberglass fragments” and while it is “not dangerous to people or the environment,” Vineyard Wind recommends that only its recovery team handle the debris.

“Vineyard Wind is fully committed to the safe and prompt removal of all debris, with a focus on community safety and environmental protection,” the company said. “As part of its immediate action plan, Vineyard Wind has communicated with Nantucket authorities to inform them of the debris and recovery efforts on the south-facing beaches of the island.”

It’s unclear exactly how much the team was able to recover Tuesday, but rescuers and island residents fanned out to the south shore to recover as much debris as possible.

Below are photos of the debris captured by island residents Tuesday morning:

Vineyard Wind’s GE Haliade-X turbines, which will be attached to monopiles drilled into the seabed, will reach 260 meters in height at the blade tip, each nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower. A total of 62 turbines will be built in the Vineyard Wind 1 concession area, and as of mid-July, 19 had been completed, with 10 operational.

It is unclear whether the broken turbine was the result of a blade failure during operation or an impact during installation.

Capt. Carl Bois of Topspin Fishing Charter of Nantucket was in the Vineyard Wind charter area Sunday and told the Current he noticed a significant amount of debris.

“There was so much debris at the wind farm site,” Bois said. “We drove for miles and saw nothing but debris at the wind farm site: big sheets of fiberglass with a foam core and a lot of loose foam.”

Bois shared the following photos of the debris he saw Sunday, which Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg confirmed was from the damaged turbine blade and had been recovered.

“GE, as the manufacturer and installer of turbines and blades for the project, will now conduct a root cause analysis of the incident,” Vineyard Wind’s statement said. “While this analysis is underway, Vineyard Wind will continue to work with federal, state and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners and the environment.”

The company also provided the following information in its Tuesday morning release:

• Team deployment: Vineyard Wind is deploying two four-person crews to Nantucket to remove debris.
• Non-toxic debris: The debris consists of non-toxic fiberglass fragments that range in size from small pieces to larger sections, usually green or white in color.
• Estimated debris size: Any potential debris washed ashore will be pieces one square foot in size or less, which should only be picked up and collected by patrol teams.
• Safety Precautions: Although fiberglass fragments are not hazardous to people or the environment, Vineyard Wind recommends that only its employees or contractors collect and remove the debris.
• Beach patrols: Beginning today, July 16, 2024, and continuing for several days, Vineyard Wind will deploy trained personnel to scour south-facing beaches to collect debris. Patrol teams will inspect the areas in the morning and evening.
• Target areas: Teams will visit Miacomet Beach and the southeastern tip of Nantucket, including Nobadeer Beach, Madequecham Beach, Pebble Beach, Tom Nevers Beach, Low Beach and Sconset Beach, or other areas where debris may wash ashore.
• Debris Reporting: If any debris is discovered by members of the public, property owners or city officials, they are advised to immediately contact: