The federal government suspended the operations of a wind farm located off the coast of Massachusetts after a massive turbine fell apart, sending debris into the ocean and forcing local officials to temporarily close nearby beaches.
Earlier this week, Vineyard Wind's developer reported a "blade failure incident" at the facility and said it had dispatched crews to collect debris in the surrounding waters and on beaches in Nantucket, Massachusetts. According to Vineyard Wind, the turbine blade was undergoing testing when it unexpectedly broke about 20 meters from its root.
The incident is the latest black eye to both the offshore wind energy industry, which has faced a number of economic setbacks in recent months, and the Biden administration's green energy plans. Vineyard Wind was the first large-scale, offshore wind project approved in the U.S. The Department of the Interior signed off on the project in May 2021, less than four months after President Biden took office.
And it appears to at least partially vindicate critics of efforts to rapidly expand offshore wind development over concerns about their impacts on the fishing industry, national security, marine wildlife, and historic resources along the nation's coasts. The Biden administration has rubber-stamped a total of nine commercial-scale offshore wind projects in an effort to meet the president's goal of delivering 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030.
"Unfortunately, we fully expect this will happen again," said New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association CEO Jerry Leeman, who has opposed accelerated offshore wind development. "We do not yet know the cause of Saturday’s incident. But we do know that no human structure can forever withstand the corrosive power of the ocean."
"The Vineyard Wind windmills are taller than the Eiffel Tower. Their blades are longer than a football field," he continued. "When they fall, they endanger vessels and degrade the environment. We must stop the industrialization of our oceans to protect mariners and marine life."
While it remains unclear why the turbine broke, the developer and federal officials are investigating the incident.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, an Interior Department subagency, said it issued a suspension order on Wednesday to cease power production from all of Vineyard Wind's turbines pending the investigation and until it can be determined whether the blade failure affects any other turbines.
"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," the agency said in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon.
It added that it is onsite to conduct the investigation and will conduct an independent assessment to ensure the safety of future offshore renewable energy operations.
And a spokesman for Vineyard Wind said the developer took immediate action when the incident occurred on Saturday and is cooperating fully with federal investigators.
The Interior Department didn't respond to a request for comment.
After Vineyard Wind was federally approved three years ago, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said it was an "important step" in fighting climate change while Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the project was an example of an investment needed to meet the administration's "ambitious climate goals."
Haaland added that her agency was committed to working with stakeholders to "avoid and reduce potential impacts as much as we can," during a groundbreaking ceremony in Barnstable, Massachusetts, months later.
Vineyard Wind ultimately began delivering full power to the grid in February.
"This marks a turning point in the clean energy transition. After many decades of advocacy, research, policymaking, and finally construction, America’s offshore wind industry has gone from a dream to reality," Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D.) said at the time.
Meanwhile, town officials in Nantucket, where many of the broken turbine's remnants have been discovered, reopened beaches Wednesday afternoon after they were closed earlier in the week. While most of the debris has been removed, residents were advised to continue to wear footwear on the beach and leave pets at home.
"Vineyard Wind should be shuttered permanently," David Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports and a Nantucket resident, said in an X post on Wednesday. "You don't get 2 strikes in this business."