Collapse Will Have Profound Impact on the Environment, Fishing, Tourism Industries, and the Ratepayers

The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance issued the following statement following reports that another significant portion of the damaged Vineyard Wind turbine blade has collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean.  The likelihood of this happening came out last night at a Nantucket Select Board meeting, where Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Moller abruptly left as he was peppered with questions from Nantucket residents and local officials. Despite the enormous environmental and economic impacts, no one from the Healey administration, or federal government was at the meeting last night. To watch the meeting, please click here.

The initial damage to the blade occurred in relatively calm conditions on Saturday, but Nantucket officials weren’t notified until 5:00 p.m. on Monday. It was confirmed at last night’s meeting that there have been no water testing by Vineyard Wind or government officials, despite 17 cubic yards of toxic debris having been removed from the ocean and local beaches. Beaches were shut down to the public on Tuesday. Despite not testing the water, on Wednesday, town officials opened the beaches but urged beach goers to wear footwear and not bring their dogs to the beaches.

Vineyard Wind began the meeting by stating the debris of fiberglass and styrofoam are nontoxic, however Nantucket Selectman Malcolm MacNab said it “troubled” him that Vineyard Wind describes the material as “nontoxic,” and said the material is indeed “toxic material.” Several Nantucket residents with knowledge of these materials also provided comments warning that the debris materials are toxic. Nantucket officials are urging residents not to handle the materials. Despite Vineyard Wind’s claims, lifeguards in hazmat suits have been seen collecting the materials from the beaches. The materials are being collected by the federal government and Nantucket is urging residents not to dispose of the materials in their trash, which is landfilled on the island.

Vineyard Wind said it’s in the process of establishing a 500 meter safety zone around the turbine, but the safety zone is strictly navigational and does not include a physical barrier. There is a single boom ship in the vicinity, but Moller admitted he does not know if it will be able to prevent debris from escaping the perimeter and further polluting the ocean waters and beaches with toxic materials. Vineyard Wind confirmed the ship had been deployed but couldn’t answer how efficient it would be.

A General Electric Haliade-X blade of the same model size, 13-megawatts, was damaged in May of this year in the Dogger Bank offshore project in the United Kingdom. In 2022, when a similar disaster occurred in Denmark, the offshore wind company asked for 'no sail zones' around the offshore wind factory in three countries after the rotor and blades fell off a Siemens Gamesa turbine. Unlike that case in 2022, in Nantucket, only one turbine is isolated.

Several Select Board members finished the meeting by speaking publicly about reconsidering their support for the good neighbor agreement the town signed with Vineyard Wind. Federal safety officials said that work at Vineyard Wind is "shut down until further notice."

“There are more questions than answers after last night’s meeting. There should be an extensive investigation to determine if all the other turbine blades are compromised, including the blades in production. People are right to reconsider their support of this project after this disaster and how it’s being handled,” stated Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“Governor Maura Healey has an obligation to protect her constituents from the environmental and economic fallout of this offshore wind disaster. The time for assessing is over, it’s now time to cut ties. You can support renewable energy and not support this project. As the public waits for more toxic debris to fall and more toxic pollution to enter our oceanwaters, now is the time to hold this big foreign company accountable and protect our pristine ocean, its wildlife, our fisherman, tourism industry, and all the people who call Massachusetts home,” continued Craney.

“The Healey administration should be preparing for the worst and calling on the Biden administration for federal support. This environmental and economic disaster requires significant resources to clean up and mitigate, the question is where these resources will come from. The Healey administration should not be relying on what the offshore wind companies tell her and promise to do. Massachusetts needs a governor who is committed to the safety of its residents and not the bottom line of foreign offshore wind companies,” concluded Craney.