Sunday, 17 November 2024

Officials Close Nantucket Beaches After Offshore Wind Turbine Failure, ‘Large Floating Debris’

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Officials closed multiple Nantucket beaches to swimming after an ‘offshore incident’ caused damage to a wind turbine.

Large pieces of debris and fiberglass shards from the damaged turbine washed ashore, and crews worked to clean up the beaches.

“You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches,” the Nantucket Harbormaster said, according to CBS News.

In response, the federal government shut down the Vineyard Wind farm until further notice.

Pictures of the debris collected from the beaches illustrate an unmitigated disaster.

Yet, wind farms are supposed to be ‘clean energy.’

Per CBS News:

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said all operations are shut down until further notice.

“A team of BSEE experts is onsite to work closely with Vineyard Wind on an analysis of the cause of the incident and next steps,” the agency said in a statement.

The Vineyard Wind turbine suffered blade damage Saturday night. No one was hurt, but large chunks of the blade began washing onto the beaches in the area in the days that followed.

“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, according to Boston 25 News.

“Vineyard Wind is fully committed to a swift and safe recovery of all debris, with an unwavering focus on community safety and environmental protection,” the company’s statement continued.

“As part of its immediate action plan, Vineyard Wind communicated with officials on Nantucket to inform them of the presence of debris and recovery efforts on the southern-facing beaches of the island,” it added.

WATCH:

From Boston 25 News:

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.


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