An offshore wind turbine project operated by Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners broke apart this week, scattering debris throughout Massachusetts’ coastal waters, with much of the flotsam washing up on Nantucket beaches.
Since the turbine experienced a catastrophic malfunction — for reasons that are not yet clear — social media has been inundated with pictures and videos of beachgoers and government employees picking up trash bags and dumpsters full of debris.
The turbine in question is owned by Vineyard Wind US, a joint project of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of Denmark and Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power (CMP). The turbine itself was manufactured by GE Vernova, which has experienced similar failures in the past with their offshore wind projects.
On Wednesday, Wineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Møller attended a Nantucket select board meeting hoping to assuage locals concerns about the industrial wind turbine debris now polluting miles of beach and much of the coastal waters.
Møller apologized to the residents at the meeting and assured them that none of the debris was toxic in nature, but the locals weren’t appeased.
“We were always told we were going to be able to fish around these things, that they weren’t going to affect our livelihood,” charter boat captain and former Select Board member Bob DeCosta said, according to a report in the Nantucket Current.
“I would like to see a representative from the federal government and they should treat this like an aircraft incident…none of these turbines should be allowed to turn a blade…until they find out exactly what happened.”
[COMMENTARY: ‘Unmitigated Carbon Super-Polluters:’ The Truth About Offshore Wind…]
Following the destruction of the turbine, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a subdivision of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is itself a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, ordered Vineyard Wind to cease operations at all of its turbine sites.
“Following the July 13, 2024, blade failure incident at Vineyard Wind, BSEE has issued a Suspension Order to Vineyard Wind to cease power production from all its wind turbine generators until it can be determined whether the blade failure affects any other VW turbines,” the agency said.
“The Suspension Order suspends power production on the lease area and suspends installation of new wind turbine generator construction: Those operations will remain shut down until the suspension is lifted. BSEE has also issued a Preservation Order to safeguard any evidence that may be relevant to determining the cause of the incident,” the agency said.
Although much of the industrial waste from the turbine has washed up on local beaches, a significant amount remains at-sea, posing a potential threat to commercial fishermen accustomed to working in those waters.
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA), which has long pointed up the dangers and pitfalls of industrialized wind power operations off the New England coast, spoke to The Maine Wire about the catastrophic environmental impact of the incident and the bleak future in store for the Gulf of Maine if the state moves ahead with its plan to construct thousands of offshore turbines in the name of “clean” energy.
[RELATED: Historically Undeveloped Sears Island Now Threatened by Maine’s Wind Turbine Project…]
“I think this is just one small piece showing us what’s coming up,” said NEFSA founder Jerry Leeman, speaking about the destroyed turbine off the Massachusetts coast.
“Those fibers, fiberglass, the foam, has now gone into the ecosystem,” Leeman said. “Those microfibers are now, you know, being digested by Cetaceans as well as the wildlife.”
Images and videos of the fallout from the turbine disaster circulated broadly on social media, with frustrated beach-goers and mariners wondering why the Biden Administration, which has made offshore wind power a cornerstone of its “green” energy policy, and Vineyard Wind weren’t doing more to assist with the community clean-up effort.
The offshore installation was previously touted as “the largest turbine in the western world” by Vineyard Wind.
While speaking with the Maine Wire, Leeman broke down the environmental damage that will likely be caused by the 300-foot long blade falling into the ocean. (Vineyard Wind initially denied that the blade had fallen into the ocean despite several images circulating on the Internet showing that the blade had, in fact, fallen into the ocean.)
According to Leeman, one of the greatest environmental threats will come when local sea life ingests the fiberglass particles and per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, commonly known as PFAS, which will then become part of the U.S. food supply.
Although PFAS chemicals have been the subject of environmental and regulatory concerns in Maine and elsewhere, environmentalists have simultaneously turned a blind eye to the use of those very chemicals in both wind turbines and solar panels — two technologies the advocate to subsidize even as they fret the introduction of PFAS chemicals into the environment.
A recent U.K. study found that oysters and mussels have become contaminated with hazardous fiberglass particles which, if ingested by humans, cannot be excreted and cause reproductive harm and even cancer.
The reason for the damage to the turbine remains unknown, but it occurred during the summer when New England’s oceans typically experience the least chaotic weather, suggesting that catastrophic turbine failures could occur far more often in other seasons when the seas are harsher.
[RELATED: Another Offshore Wind Project Scuttled as Maine Charges Forward with Mills’ “Roadmap”…]
Leeman warned about the possible environmental catastrophe that could occur if thousands of turbines are placed in the Gulf of Maine and the Vineyard Wind turbine collapse is replicated on a vaster scale.
“That was for one blade, and now you’re talking about possibly putting 1000s of blades in our ocean,” said Leeman. “So imagine, you know, catastrophic hurricane, or, you know, a powerful nor’easter”
The recent incident has led Leeman to renew NEFSA’s calls for New England governments to slow down the push for industrial-scale offshore wind development due to their possibly disastrous consequences and potential to harm commercial fisheries.
[RELATED: Offshore Wind Projects Facing High Costs and Delays Amid Industry Crisis: WSJ…]
Offshore wind turbines have long concerned fishermen and lobstermen, and not only for their effect on the environment and commercially important fish populations.
The turbines are potentially dangerous for fishermen sailing in low-visibility conditions, and the chemicals they release into the ocean can contaminate their catches, significantly devaluing their products.
Most recently, Vineyard Wind has claimed that the blade of the damaged turbine is sitting on the ocean floor, and company has promised to recover it “in due course,” without indicating a timeline for that recovery. It’s unclear whether environmental remediation plans were put in place at the time the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created legal and financial incentives for the company to install the turbine.
Nantucket is reportedly considering taking legal action against the company for the disaster.
As long as the liberal yuppies can charge up their EVs. who really cares? Say adios to the right whales too.
The SCAM of the century and sooooo many Libs have bought into it. Drill baby drill!
Since when did windmills become slightly while billboards have been banned in Maine since 1976? Liberal logic?
And to top things off, they want to put floating wind turbines off our coast, an even worse idea. The destruction done to the once beautiful state of Maine by this administration is going ton cost us dearly in the future. They told the farmers that the sludge was safe, how did that work out?
Here we have the result after the manufacture, transportation, installation and maintenance. It’s absolutely phenomenal everything that goes into these giant bookends… I got some fresh pieces of fiberglass these greenies can stick where the sun don’t shine!
Our Governor Mills is all in for offshore wind power. Without subsidies (OUR TAX DOLLARS), the cost is multiple times that of existing power sources. It is idiotic to think this “green” source of energy is a long term solution. The facts and figures coming to light shine brightly on the stupidity of this radical and obsessive environment religion. Jim Jones is asking us to drink deeply from the green chalice.
What about the immigrants using our power and more polution Bidden.
Clean it up jack ass Demmocrate.
A wind turbine will, over it’s projected lifetime, never produce more energy than what it took to build it.
These projects are a waste of natural resources and a threat to the environment.
they dont even make power, there true purpose is controling the weather. speed up or slow down the air current to maximize cloud seeding, moisure content, etc…
So, is the same government agency that’s trying to destroy lobstering businesses cause they don’t like the ropes they use going to come in and within 30 minutes or so determine that there is no long term environmental impact or harm to sea life from these offshore turbines falling apart?
Every day – every hour – there are tons of pollutants spilling out, unchecked and uncollected, into the environment from the myriad methane-fired plants all around New England, along the coast and inland. This event is contained; and even prior to full commissioning, this wind plant has begun to reduce the pollution that would otherwise be emitted from those other sources of electricity. Get a grip, people, this is an anomaly – clean up the debris, make restitution as necessary, complete the wind farm, and move on.
My memory is starting to fade on this, but my recollection is that King, Angus, now Senator, made his fortune in the early days of Wind Turbine speculation and fervor, and then got himself out of the game with his winnings.
I also seem to recall that his son found a leadership position in the field; don’t know if he’s still there.
Make Angus fund the clean up. He would not want any of his turbine pieces to was up on his (camp) in Georgetown.
Oh Goodie …..
Can we get some of those for Maine ?
We don’t want those dips from Massachusetts to get ALL the credit for saving our atmosphere …..or whatever .
Line the shores ….Line the beaches ….Line the mountains
A chicken in every pot and a windmill in every back yard .
Just wait till AOC runs for president . LOL LOL
Does anyone check these articles for typos and grammatical errors? It makes us look unprofessional and dumb. Cmon guys. Do better.
One day there could be thousands of blades and turbines spraying fiberglass and PFAS into our water – you mean just like a fiberglass boat breaking up on the rocks? Or fishing nets gone astray, strangling whales and boat propellers? Or hundreds of miles of plastic fishing line and rope that go astray every season? Pot, meet kettle