LBI offshore wind critics sound alarm after Massachusetts turbine breaks

A Long Beach Island-based group critical of offshore wind development is calling for a moratorium on additional New Jersey's wind projects following the failure of a turbine off the coast of Massachusetts this month.

"Save LBI" called for the moratorium from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Monday, citing the impacts from a broken turbine at the Vineyard Wind project off Martha's Vineyard. After a blade broke off the turbine, beaches in the region were littered with debris and shards of fiberglass. Vineyard Wind has since been shut down while federal authorities investigate, according to Reuters .

"The incident is a stark reminder of the many potential disasters offshore wind turbines can pose to the shore and the marine environment, and adds to the concerns already raised regarding turbine visibility, reduced breeze, and airborne noise," Save LBI president and founder Bob Stern said in a release.

Stern noted that Vineyard Wind is a smaller project than what is planned off the Jersey Shore. As of February, just 5 of 62 planned turbines were operational at Vineyard Wind, according to Massachusetts officials .

Off Atlantic City, up to 200 turbines are planned for the Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind project, with hundreds more likely to come farther out in the ocean with other power projects.

"The incident (with Vineyard Wind) also leaves open the question of whether all those small shards of fiberglass can be adequately removed from the beach," he said.

Environmentalists have countered that offshore wind plays an important role in reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving climate change, ocean warming and rising sea levels.

The Vineyard Wind turbine failure is not the first offshore wind turbine to break. In May, a blade broke on a wind turbine at Dogger Bank A wind farm along the northeast coast of England. Onshore wind turbines have broken in Germany and Sweden, according to Reuters .

GE Vernova, a Massachusetts-based energy equipment manufacturing company, made the turbines at both Vineyard Wind and Dogger Bank A.

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: LBI offshore wind critics sound alarm after Massachusetts turbine breaks