Vineyard Wind has confirmed that debris from a broken GE Vernova turbine blade was recently recovered off the coast of Hyannisport.
The city of Barnstable issued an alert Thursday about pieces of foam debris “reported through the Vineyard Wind debris reporting line.”
Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg noted Friday that “in the initial report, approximately five small pieces were found by a resident and reported to the city of Barnstable.”
“As part of the debris recovery efforts, Vineyard Wind sent a crew to patrol the area, and no additional debris was found,” he said in an email. “We are working with local officials, including any required shorebird monitoring personnel, to respond to any additional reports we receive.”
Where else was debris found?
Since the collapse of the Vineyard Wind’s wind rotor blade on July 13, sending pieces of fiberglass, rigid foam and balsa wood into the ocean, debris of various sizes has been found in the water and on land around Nantucket, Vineyard and Rhode Island Sounds, as well as in Buzzards Bay.
Earlier this month, the city of Falmouth reported that debris had washed up on several beaches on the Buzzards Bay side, including Black Beach, Chapoquoit Beach, Woodneck Beach and Old Silver Beach.
Debris was recovered last month from waters about 3 1/2 miles off Monomoy in Chatham, as well as from southern Nantucket beaches; Martha’s Vineyard, including Norton Point and South Beach; and Menemsha on the northwestern side of the Vineyard. Some debris also was recovered from the southern end of Cuttyhunk Island.
No other debris has been officially confirmed by other towns on Cape Cod.
In his Friday email, Gilvarg stressed that Vineyard Wind “will continue to work with tribes and local communities, deploying trained personnel and mobilized resources to assist in the collection of foam and other debris, both at sea and on land, as well as debris from other sources.”
Is the rubble toxic?
Arcadis, an international engineering and environmental consultancy firm headquartered in the Netherlands, has conducted an initial environmental analysis of the rotor blade waste.
According to the company, which was hired by GE Vernova, the waste is non-toxic and non-hazardous and consists of “inert” materials, the same type used in, for example, pleasure boats and textiles.
However, some have doubts about the findings. Malcolm MacNab, a member of the Nantucket Select Board and a physician, is among those who have pointed out how irritating fiberglass can be when people come into contact with broken fibers.
Local, state and federal authorities conduct independent analyses.
What does the rubble look like?
According to information from Vineyard Wind, “the remaining debris at this time likely consists of small, popcorn-sized pieces of floating foam, although some pieces may be larger.”
It is also possible that “limited pieces of non-toxic fiberglass may be found, typically green or white in color and similar to materials used in boat construction.”
Investigations ongoing
GE Vernova is currently investigating the cause of the failure of the Haliade X-13 blades on the Vineyard Wind AW-38 turbine to prevent future failures.
All existing blades, both installed and awaiting installation at the New Bedford Marine Commerce terminal, are being inspected using advanced remote-controlled “crawler” robots. They are placed inside the blades and focus on “eight to nine priority areas,” taking “dozens of photos” and videos to inspect “a variety of factors, not just glue and adhesives,” according to Roger Martella, chief sustainability officer at GE Vernova.
Technicians also review thousands of ultrasound images taken during production (more than 8,300 per sheet) to measure bond widths and detect any ‘deviations’ that need to be corrected.
The Vineyard Wind project includes 62 turbines with a total of 186 blades. Of these, 24 were installed before the blade collapse on July 13, and at least 10 of the turbines were commissioned and operational. The Vineyard Wind turbine with the broken blade was still undergoing testing.
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is conducting its own independent investigation. The agency had called for a halt to wind turbine installation after last month’s blade collapse, but has since relaxed its suspension order to allow “certain limited additional activities, including tower and nacelle installation.”
However, new blade installations remain prohibited, and the company has not yet been granted permission to resume power production.
Nantucket Considers Lawsuit
On Friday, the Nantucket Select Board, which also serves as a county commission, was scheduled to meet in closed session to discuss strategy regarding potential lawsuits against GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind.
According to the meeting announcement, this was specifically to look into legal action “for costs and/or an injunction in connection with the failure of the wind turbine.”
Barnstable: Report Debris to Vineyard Wind
As part of Thursday’s warning, Barnstable urged anyone who finds trash in the water or on land to report it and not to touch the material they find.
Gilvarg pointed out that a federal preservation order has been issued and that Vineyard Wind crews are “collecting, tracking and moving all debris to an appropriate disposal site as quickly as possible.”
“Therefore, we recommend that only Vineyard Wind employees, contractors or individuals designated by municipal officials should handle and clean up the debris,” he said.
Residents are advised not to throw trash in the garbage or drop it off at the Barnstable transfer station, as Vineyard Wind must pick it up “for analysis and proper disposal.”
How do you report rubble?
Any debris found in the water or along the shoreline should be reported directly to VineyardWind’s Debris Reporting Hotline at 781-831-1134. This hotline is intended to “provide better and faster service.” Debris can also be reported online at https://vineyardwind1.ethicspoint.com
Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Vineyard Wind: Debris from broken turbine blade found on Hyannis beach
