At a Nantucket select board meeting Wednesday evening that was livestreamed, project developer Vineyard Wind said more debris is falling into the ocean from the damaged blade and the remaining piece of the blade could soon plummet.
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Vineyard Wind announced just after 9 p.m. that crews reported an “observed compromise to the integrity” of the blade, which already sustained significant damage over the weekend.
“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,” the company said in a statement. “We have mobilized our response team and have also witnessed new debris enter the water.”
The statement came after residents lashed out at the manufacturers of the turbine and those behind Vineyard Wind. Many took exception to Vineyard Wind’s description of the debris as non-toxic. One resident said that the off-shore wind farm will end up being “the dumbest thing” that’s ever happened to the island. Another called Saturday’s incident the “beginning of a massive boondoggle.” A third labeled Vineyard Wind “not a good neighbor.”
“We are the guinea pigs of this industry,” said Val Oliver.
Representatives of GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind were peppered with questions: How much debris had been collected? How often do the turbines break? What exactly happened? What was the timeline of events and communication to local officials? How will the debris affect marine life in the area?
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“The whole thing upsets me,” said select board member Malcolm MacNab.
Roger Martella, the chief sustainability officer and head of government affairs at GE Vernova, said that the company is in the midst of a “root cause analysis” to determine what happened.
“Safety is the No. 1 priority,” he said.
Klaus Moeller, the CEO of Vineyard Wind, apologized that the incident shut down some of the island’s beaches, which residents described as the lifeblood of Nantucket.
“This is a very serious situation,” he said.
Turbines at the wind farm, which is south of Martha’s Vineyard, began producing for the New England power grid earlier this year. When complete, the project will have 62 turbines generating a capacity of about 806 megawatts, enough to power about 400,000 homes. Twenty-four turbines have been installed so far.
Vineyard Wind said the turbine was still undergoing testing when it was damaged. A spokesperson for the company said the blade was damaged about 20 meters, or roughly 65 feet, from its root. The blades are approximately 107 meters long.
”State energy and environmental officials are regularly communicating with Vineyard Wind on the incident and response, as well as local officials. There is a rigorous, federally approved safety process in place,” the state’s executive office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely as GE and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement assess the cause of the incident and determine next steps.”
The town of Nantucket said in a statement that the “majority of the debris” has been cleared and the affected beaches have reopened for swimming, but officials urged visitors to wear “appropriate footwear” on the beaches and keep pets away for their safety.
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Lifeguards are monitoring the beaches for any additional debris, officials said.
Vineyard Wind said Tuesday that it had deployed two teams of four people to clear the debris. The company said it was increasing its beach patrols to 35 employees and contractors Wednesday.
Town officials and Vineyard Wind urged the public to avoid handling the material and report any sightings of debris to the town or the cleanup contractor via an online form.
“Anyone handling debris should wear gloves, and Vineyard Wind is working to bag, track, and transport all debris off the island and to proper storage as soon as possible,” the company said.
Vineyard Wind said the cleanup will continue “until all debris is removed.”
“The public can have confidence that we will be here as long as it takes to get the job done and make sure the beaches are cleaned up,” Moeller said in a statement.
Craig Gilvarg, a Vineyard Wind spokesperson, said the company suspended power production “immediately” after learning of the damage. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued a work suspension order Monday afternoon, he said.
“Vineyard Wind is in full compliance with the order, and is working in collaboration with BSEE to support its assessment and advance critical safety response and debris recovery efforts,” Gilvarg said by email.
A BSEE spokesperson said Wednesday that the suspension order halts power production and further installation of turbines until investigators determine whether other turbines are at risk.
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The agency has crews on the island and will conduct “an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations,” the spokesperson said.
Material from State House News Service was used in this report.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Danny McDonald can be reached at daniel.mcdonald@globe.com. Follow him @Danny__McDonald.
