‘Offshore incident’: Some Nantucket beaches closed after debris from broken wind turbine washes up

NANTUCKET, Mass. — An investigation is underway after an “offshore incident” in the water off Massachusetts damaged the blade of a towering wind turbine over the weekend, officials said.

A Vineyard Wind turbine nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower experienced blade damage on Saturday night, according to developers of the offshore wind project.

“Vineyard Wind experienced blade damage on a wind turbine in its offshore development area. No personnel or third parties were in the vicinity of the turbine at the time, and all employees of Vineyard Wind and its contractors are safe and secure,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.”

ACK4Whales, a grassroots organization that seeks “science-backed answers on impending cumulative impacts from offshore wind projects” off Massachusetts, shared an image of the broken turbine with a caption that read, “Blades breaking already. Where is it? Did any boats hit it? Why did it break off?”

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has since established a safety perimeter and is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to notify mariners of a safety zone of 500 meters around the impacted turbine.

General Electric is leading an investigation into the incident.

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

The Nantucket Current reported that pieces of the broken turbine blade were found washed up on Nobadeer Beach, Madaket Beach, and Ladies Beach.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Nantucket Harbormaster said that all of the island’s south shore beaches were closed to swimming due to “large floating debris.” The public is encouraged to swim at beaches on the north shore until further notice.

“You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches,” the Harbormaster wrote in a post on X.

Vineyard Wind has mobilized debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island for the recovery of debris following the blade damage and has successfully recovered three large fragments.

The debris consists of non-toxic fiberglass fragments ranging in size from small pieces to larger sections, typically green or white in color, Vineyard Wind noted.

The company noted that it’s “fully committed to a swift and safe recovery of all debris, with an unwavering focus on community safety and environmental protection.”

Federal, state, tribal, and local authorities are assisting General Electric with the investigation into the cause of the damage.

Vineyard Wind is the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the nation that currently powers tens of thousands of homes in Massachusetts.

The GE Haliade-X turbines reach 837 feet in the air at the tip of their blades.

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