More Vineyard Wind turbine pieces fall in ‘controlled detachment,’ debris could hit Nantucket beaches

More pieces of the faulty Vineyard Wind turbine blade fell in a controlled detachment early Sunday morning, and Nantucket beaches remain at risk of seeing more debris wash up in the coming days, town officials reported.

“The controlled detachment follows a series of exercises conducted late last week to pitch the blade, which, in combination with storm winds, led to the safe separation of the sections below the root of the blade,” Nantucket officials stated Sunday night.

Following the July 13 initial malfunction and collapse of the wind turbine, Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova said they’ve developed a “comprehensive plan to recover the remaining AW-38 blade in incremental steps” in a presentation released Friday.

As of Sunday night, teams from the companies are assessing whether the remaining sections “pose a risk of detachment,” Nantucket officials said. The root of the blade, which has a plan in place for its removal, is still attached and being monitored.

Maritime crews from Vineyard Wind remain on the site to contain any new debris “immediately,” the town updated.

Meanwhile, Nantucket may still see some debris wash up on beaches within the next days depending on the wind, officials said, again encouraging any residents who see wreckage to call or report it via the Vineyard Wind contact.

Vineyard Wind is responsible for any debris “under a federal preservation order,” town officials said, and only the company’s employees, contractors or town-appointed workers are authorized to handle or recover the pieces. Residents are not authorized to handle the debris, including putting it in landfills or bringing it to home property.

The Coast Guard has set up a 500-meter safety exclusion zone around the turbine. They will remove the zone when “it concludes threats to personnel and marine navigation have been addressed.”

GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind teams met with the Select Board Chair on Friday to notify her that they were releasing the presentation outlining the July 13 incident and fallout, recovery efforts and ongoing plan to meet conditions to restart the project.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has mandated that an “updated response plan must be created and approved before energy production can resume,” the town said.

“The Select Board and the Town of Nantucket are committed to advocating through all available channels to ensure our concerns and perspectives are fully considered throughout this process,” Nantucket officials stated Saturday.