It’s a story that environmental groups would ordinarily be all over: a greedy energy-producer has an accident, and a beach is strewn with debris. The habitat is spoiled. The company’s local operations are shut down.
But they’re not — and it’s because it’s not an oil spill. It’s debris from a broken wind turbine that washed up on the south shore of Nantucket in Massachusetts.
Now, the water is closed to swimmer and the offshore wind farm it came from is being shut down by the feds “until further notice.”
Where’s Greenpeace when you really need them?
According to the Nantucket Current, the debris from the turbine blade began washing up on the shore on July 16, days after it had apparently suffered damage.
Vineyard Wind, the operator, said that one of the blades was involved in an “offshore incident” on July 13 but declined to elaborate further as to what it was.
“The blade experienced a breakage approximately 20 meters out from the root,” said company spokesman Craig Gilvarg.
“The turbine was in its commissioning phase and was still undergoing testing. Nearly the entirety of the blade remains affixed to the turbine and has not fallen into the water.”
A few days later, though, residents could clearly see the effects of the blade’s disintegration:
Should offshore wind farms be shut down?
Another morning with island residents sending us their beach finds, more than a week after the Vineyard Wind turbine blade incident.
These photos are from Cisco, Tom Nevers, and Tuckernuck.
The cleanup continues: https://t.co/uYBsS45Cjb pic.twitter.com/ViJJS34suz
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 21, 2024
“Residents began reporting pieces of green and white foam, along with larger pieces of what appears to fiberglass, along southern Nantucket beaches at daybreak, stretching from Madaket out to Nobadeer,” the Current reported.
Almost a week after the report, residents were still documenting the debris washing up on the island:
Nantucket resident Nathan Skerritt was fishing this morning along the south shore and documenting the fiberglass shards still washing up from Vineyard Wind’s damaged turbine blade, more than a week after its failure 15 miles southwest of the island pic.twitter.com/RoJ63OCI35
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 22, 2024
On the first day debris from its damaged wind turbine blade began washing up on Nantucket, Vineyard Wind advised that “potential debris washing ashore will be pieces 1 square foot or less”
A week later, large pieces are still being found, like this one today found by Jack Damer pic.twitter.com/hvYpg7GJiC
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 22, 2024
The town closed the beaches for swimming after 11 a.m. on the day the wind turbine debris was found.
“The water is closed to swimming on all south shore beaches, due to large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards,” said Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey.
“You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches.”
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement also announced that afternoon that Vineyard Wind’s offshore turbines had been shut down.
The company said via a statement that it was “mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island for the recovery of debris following the blade damage incident that took place on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
“In addition, Vineyard Wind remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area, and continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a safety zone of 500 meters around the impacted turbine offshore.”
“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 said.
“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.”
However, the day afterward, the CEO of Vineyard Wind had to leave a meeting of the Town of Nantucket Select Board because the remainder of the broken blade may have fallen off:
🚨 BREAKING (literally)
Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Moller and his team just exited the building and he came back and said he had an urgent matter to attend to.
It sounds like the remaining piece of the broken blade that was left hanging may have fallen off the turbine. pic.twitter.com/85Ejl3Hg7m
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 17, 2024
The company issued a statement later saying there was an “observed compromise” to the blade and “We believe there is an increased possibility it could detach soon … We have mobilized our response team and have also witnessed new debris enter the water.”
“We have mobilized our response team and have also witnessed new debris enter the water. pic.twitter.com/yE55io2pJg
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 18, 2024
At the same meeting, a local lobsterman testified to the toxicity of the fiberglass the blades are made out of — noting that if you breathe the fumes as it’s being bonded, “you’ll get higher than a rat” — and saying that disasters like this could be “the end of my business.”
🦞Nantucket lobsterman Dan Pronk, staring down the Vineyard Wind CEO, says
“I fish 800 lobster traps right where you’re putting these tombstones, which is also the end of my business.” pic.twitter.com/T9xqjjI0T4
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 17, 2024
But, watch. Five years from now, Vineyard Wind will be picking up award after award from environmentalist groups and everyone will try to forget this.
This is hardly the only problem with wind turbines, which require toxic lubricants and also kill birds, among many other problems with the form of alternative energy. It’s almost as if, somehow, there’s no such thing as a free lunch when it comes to getting electricity. Amazing, that.
