Vineyard Wind: Blade debris recovered after offshore “incident”

BOSTON (SHNS) – Developers of a power project in the waters off Massachusetts disclosed Monday afternoon that an “incident” Saturday night led to blade damage on a wind turbine that required the establishment of a safety perimeter and the issuance of notices to mariners in the area. On Monday evening, project officials confirmed that large pieces of debris have been recovered.

Vineyard Wind in a 3:40 p.m. announcement said no personnel or third parties were near the turbine when the incident occurred and all Vineyard Wind employees and contractors are “safe and secure.”

The company, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, initially did not respond to additional questions by 7 p.m. about the nature of the incident, its cause, the size of the safety perimeter, and whether the blade was still attached to the turbine.

However, after being sent Nantucket Current photos published Monday evening , Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg emailed the News Service a one-sentence statement.

“Vineyard Wind has recovered three large pieces of debris and safely transported them to harbor, and continues to monitor the area,” Gilvarg said.

“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,” Vineyard Wind said in its afternoon statement. “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.”

Vineyard Wind is delivering more than 136 megawatts of offshore wind energy, with ten of its planned 62 turbines online as the project inches closer toward its goal of eventually delivering 806 megawatts of power.

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