Vineyard Wind Turbine Breaks Up, Littering Ocean and Nantucket Beaches

Damage to an offshore wind turbine washed “debris and sharp fiberglass shards” ashore on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts after a July 13 incident at the Vineyard Wind construction site. Beaches are closed as the company launches a cleanup effort of debris it describes as “nontoxic fragments” measuring 1 square foot or less. The offshore wind energy company, which is building a 62-turbine wind farm about 15 miles southwest of Nantucket Island, said a turbine blade sustained damage during an “offshore incident,” which it did not describe further. “As part of its permitting, Vineyard Wind has detailed plans to guide its response to incidents such as this,” wrote Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg in a press release. “Following those protocols, Vineyard Wind established a safety perimeter, and worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to issue notice to mariners.”...