Wind power operations off Nantucket Island are suspended after turbine blade parts washed ashore
The federal government has ordered an offshore wind developer off Nantucket Island to suspend operations after parts of a damaged turbine blade ended up littering beaches
NANTUCKET, Mass. — The federal government has ordered an offshore wind developer off Nantucket Island, a popular summer tourist destination in Massachusetts, to suspend operations after parts of a damaged turbine blade washed up on the beaches.
A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Wednesday that operations at Vineyard Wind have been suspended until it can be determined whether the “blade failure” impacts other turbine blades on the development. As a result, power production on the lease area has been suspended and installation of new wind turbine generator construction is also on hold.
Meanwhile, Nantucket officials said all South Shore beaches have reopened on the island after the company said six truckloads of debris were collected. The company said that the debris consists of nontoxic fiberglass fragments and that any washing ashore will be pieces of one square foot or less.
“We’re making progress in the debris recovery efforts and mobilizing even more resources on the island to hasten the cleanup as quickly as possible," Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller said in a statement, which asks people to report any debris sightings to the company or town officials and avoid handling themselves. «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.”
Vineyard Wind said it is also working with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a safety zone of 500 meters (1,640 feet) around the affected offshore turbine.
The region's power grid operator,
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