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. [emphasis, links added]
But they’re not — 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 swimmers 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 ashore on July 16, days after it had 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:
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 be 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.
Top image via CBS Boston YouTube/screencap
h/t Steve B.
Read rest at Western Journal
But wind energy is free and totally green so how could this happen? Oh, I’m guessing there was inadequate testing to see how long these new huge turbine blades will last before failing (and falling into the seas). And this was just regular winds, not hurricane-force winds.