Posted on August 14, 2024
Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova today announced that they have begun executing controlled cutting activities on turbine AW-38, substantially reducing the amount of the damaged blade that presents a risk for additional debris falling into the ocean. Additionally, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has issued an updated Suspension Order that enables Vineyard Wind to resume certain limited additional activities, including the installation of towers and nacelles – components not associated with the blade event that occurred on July 13, 2024. The updated Suspension Order does not enable further blade installation or power production at this time.
The controlled cutting operations, which took place on Sunday, August 11 and Monday, August 12, 2024, have removed a substantial amount of the remaining portions of the damaged blade that pose a risk for further debris falling into the ocean. During the operations, Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova mobilized maritime crews on multiple vessels nearby to secure as much debris as possible for immediate containment and removal as well as land-based crews managing debris recovery. The operation was part of the plan shared at the Nantucket Select Board meeting last Wednesday and outlined in the public action plan overview announced on Friday. Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova are currently assessing next steps to complete any additional cutting necessary at the earliest opportunity, secure and remove the debris on the turbine platform, remove the blade root, and address the debris on the seabed.
The updated Suspension Order is the result of extensive consultation with the Federal Interagency and third-party experts to ensure these future steps uphold the highest safety and engineering standards. The Order follows thousands of hours devoted to the plan’s development, review, and testing, including evaluation against all other alternatives to arrive at the best, safest approach for a successful operation.
“The updated Order issued by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement reflects the unity of effort, extensive planning, independent third-party validation, and relentless focus on safety that went into developing our action plan to secure the remainder of the damaged blade and get this critical project back on track,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Møller. “As we take these important steps to resume installation activities, starting with towers and nacelles during GE Vernova’s ongoing blade inspection process, the safety of personnel and the environment remains our highest priority.”
”Our primary focus continues to be removing the parts of the blade that pose any risk of contributing further debris into the ocean,” said GE Vernova Chief Sustainability Officer Roger Martella. “We are thankful for our stakeholders, partners, and the skilled professionals at the site and behind the scenes for their unrelenting commitment to safe execution of these plans and the progress and risk mitigation of the last few days.”
In advance of issuing the updated Order, BSEE examined relevant records and information, including an independent structural load analysis by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a certified verification agent (CVA). The CVA is an impartial third party that must, by law, undergo screening and approval by BSEE to evaluate and vouch for the facility’s adequacy. Following examination of that analysis, BSEE concluded Vineyard Wind could safely proceed with tower and nacelle installation.
On the morning of Tuesday, August 13, 2024, the Foss Prevailing Wind barge will depart the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal carrying turbine components including several tower sections and one nacelle for transportation to the Vineyard Wind offshore site. The vessel will also carry a rack of three blades solely for the purpose of ensuring safe and balanced composition for the transport. The blades will not be installed offshore at this time, and will be returned by the Foss Prevailing Wind to the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal later in the week.
The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a 500-meter safety exclusion zone around the AW-38 turbine. Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova will continue utilizing a fleet of vessels, aerial surveys, and U.S. Coast Guard modeling to assess potential debris movement and deploy already mobilized resources as necessary to assist in the containment and collection of debris. Vineyard Wind remains under a federal preservation order to retain all debris and requests that only its employees, contractors, or those appointed by coordinating town officials handle and recover debris materials. Members of the public should avoid handling debris. Vineyard Wind will bag, track, and transport all debris to proper storage as soon as possible.
Since the blade event occurred on July 13, 2024, Vineyard Wind has been following its federally approved emergency response plan, tailoring it as needed for the specific situation. The project immediately activated its Incident Management Team (IMT), which has been trained in the federal Incident Command System. Vineyard Wind has established a rigorous debris recovery system by air, land, and sea. The company has also established direct communication with Tribal Nations, federal and state officials, local communities, and first responder agencies to provide notification of debris impacts.
Upon completion, Vineyard Wind is expected to generate electricity for the equivalent of powering roughly 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, create approximately 3,600 full time equivalent (FTE) job years, save customers approximately $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and reduce carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking approximately 325,000 cars off the road annually.
