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Federal regulators issue revised suspension order for Vineyard Wind as more debris falls from damaged turbine

August 1, 2024 — Federal regulators have issued a revised suspension order for Vineyard Wind as an investigation continues into a damaged turbine blade at the offshore wind farm that has continued to cast debris into the ocean in recent days.

The revised order by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, part of the US Department of the Interior, clarifies the requirements for Vineyard Wind before workers can board any wind turbines.

After the July 13 blade failure, the bureau ordered Vineyard Wind to halt power production and the installation of new turbines. The revised suspension order also requires Vineyard Wind to submit a risk analysis and mitigation measures to regulators.

The damaged wind turbine was manufactured by Cambridge-based GE Vernova. The company has said the damage was caused by a manufacturing issue and was not related to the turbine’s design or engineering.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Deeply troubled.’ Keating, Aquinnah tribe want faster notice after wind turbine collapse

July 31, 2024 — After the July 13 collapse of a Vineyard Wind turbine blade in the project area south of Martha’s Vineyard, 48 hours passed before Nantucket officials got word. For the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the lag was even longer.

It’s a wait that U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Massachusetts, echoing the criticism of leaders on the islands, says was unacceptable.

In a letter last week to the head of the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Keating called foul on a process that failed to alert leaders on Nantucket about the football field-sized blade breaking off in the nearby lease area until two days later.

Keating is now calling on the agency to create protocols that would require local municipal and tribal leaders to be immediately notified of hazardous situations in the wind lease areas south of Martha’s Vineyard and southwest of Nantucket.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times