It's a story where environmental groups usually end up: A greedy energy producer has an accident and the beach is strewn with debris. Habitats are destroyed. The company's local operations are closed. [emphasis, links added]
But that’s not the case – because this wasn’t an oil spill. Debris from a damaged wind turbine washed up on the south shore of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The water is now closed to swimmers, The offshore wind farm it comes from is being shut down by the federal government “until further notice”.
when you real Do you need them?
According to the Nantucket Current, pieces of the turbine blades began washing ashore on July 16, just days after the blades were damaged.
Operator Vineyard Wind said On July 13, one of the blades was involved in a “marine accident” But declined to elaborate further on what it was.
“The blade broke approximately 20 meters from the root,” company spokesman Craig Gilvarg said.
“The turbine is in the commissioning phase and is still being tested. Almost the entire blade is still attached to the turbine and has not fallen into the water.
Days later, however, residents could clearly see the effects of the blade's disintegration:
More than a week after the Vineyard wind turbine blade incident, another morning, islanders sent us what they found on the beach.
These photos are from Cisco, Tom Nevers, and Tuckernuck.
Cleanup efforts continue: https://t.co/uYBsS45Cjb pic.twitter.com/ViJJS34suz
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 21, 2024
According to the Times, “Residents reported green and white foam shards and large shards of what appeared to be fiberglass appearing at dawn on Nantucket's southern beaches, stretching from Madaket to Nobadel .
Nearly a week after the report was released, Residents are still documenting the debris that washed up on the island:
Nantucket resident Nathan Skerritt was fishing along the south shore this morning, documenting the fiberglass fragments still washing ashore from Vineyard Wind's damaged turbine blades, 15 miles southwest of the island. It has been more than a week since the failure occurred pic.twitter.com/RoJ63OCI35
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 22, 2024
On the first day that debris from damaged wind turbine blades began washing ashore on Nantucket, Vineyard Wind said, “The potential debris that washes ashore will be 1 square foot or less.”
A week later, large pieces are still being found, like the one Jack Dahmer found today pic.twitter.com/hvYpg7GJiC
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) July 22, 2024
The town closed the beach to swimming after 11 a.m. on the day the wind turbine wreckage was discovered.
“All South Shore beaches are closed to swimming due to the large amount of floating debris and sharp pieces of fiberglass,” Nantucket Harbor Master Sheila Lucey said.
“You can walk on the beach, however, we strongly recommend that you wear shoes as there are sharp pieces of fiberglass and debris on the beach.”
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 “Break” in The Western Journal
