Vineyard Wind Crisis: Nantucket residents to avoid local beach as ‘hazardous’ debris collection continues
Nantucket residents were advised to avoid Madequecham Beach on Sunday morning as more hazardous debris from the Vineyard Wind turbine failure continues to show up along the coast.
Swimmers and mariners should “take warning” and avoid the area of east of Beach Access 28 Madequecham Beach, the Town of Nantucket posted Sunday morning. The latest in consistent fallout from the collapse of a major wind turbine, a large piece of debris could “cause a hazard” to residents in the water, the town reported.
The initial blade failure of one of Vineyard Wind’s turbines 21 miles south of Nantucket became evident last Saturday, and town officials stated they were made aware of the collapse on Monday, just hours before debris began to wash ashore. Beaches in the area closed on Tuesday but have since reopened.
As of Sunday morning, the town reported, offshore vessels continued to remove “foam and fiberglass pieces of varying sizes, mainly smaller fragments” from the area. Vineyard Wind received reports of new debris washing in from south side beaches including Cisco and Smith’s Point and crews remain deployed to the area, the town relayed Sunday. Aerial crews and vessels remain seeking debris in the water.
“If winds from the south strengthen, there is a possibility of more fiberglass or foam washing ashore later today,” the Town of Nantucket reported, but said Vineyard Wind had not yet received the latest weather forecast models.
Town officials said a “significant portion” of the 107-meter blade that fell from the turbine on Thursday reportedly sunk to the ocean floor.
About half of the fiberglass shell remains attached and most of the interior foam fell out last Saturday, the town said Friday. The company is continuing to monitor the remaining attached pieces and plan for the removal, the town added.
The Sierra Club, meanwhile, which has backed the project, said criticized the company for its delay in notifying the town of the blade failure.
“The Sierra Club is concerned about Vineyard Wind’s delay in providing notice to Nantucket officials and the public, and urges the developers to do everything possible to prevent similar actions in the future,” the Sierra Club said in a statement Friday. “Now we must all work to ensure that the failure of a single turbine blade does not adversely impact the emergence of offshore wind as a critical solution for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and addressing the climate crisis.”
The Sierra Club statement argued “wind power is one of the safest forms of energy generation” but noted the need for federal, state and local oversight as wind development continues.
The company is “responsible for collecting all debris for analysis and will manage its removal from the island,” Nantucket officials wrote Friday. As of Wednesday, Vineyard Wind crews had removed 17 cubic yards — or approximately six truckloads — of debris.
Related Articles
Massachusetts House fails to take up wind farm commission in approved climate bill
Massachusetts residents sue Cape Cod town over nature of business in wind farm project
Nantucket Select Board to pursue reimbursement against Vineyard Wind in wake of blade failure
Vineyard Wind blade failure: Nantucket residents, business scramble for lifeline
Vineyard Wind crisis: ‘Significant portion’ of blade detaches from turbine off Nantucket
Debris has washed up on Martha’s Vineyard as well as the Nantucket Beaches, the neighboring island reported last week.
The Nantucket Select Board will meet in executive session on Tuesday to discuss a potential lawsuit against Vineyard Wind and efforts to be reimbursed for recovery costs from the company, according to the Board’s agenda.
The Select Board will open up a public session on Wednesday for further updates on the blade failure and cleanup, following up on the public meeting last week.