GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind Provide Update on Incident and Response Action Plan
Progress being made on all elements of Action Plan
New Bedford, Mass. – October 23, 2024 –GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind today provided an update on the implementation of their Incident and Response and Action Plan announced in August. The plan outlined steps to safely remove the remainder of the damaged blade on turbine AW-38, remove any remaining debris, complete environmental studies, implement actions for blade readiness for service, and, ultimately, resume turbine installation and operations of the Vineyard Wind 1 project.
The update today included the following regarding several critical pathways for the project:
Removal of Impacted Blade
With respect to removal of the AW-38 blade involved in the July event, GE Vernova committed to undertaking several tasks with Resolve Marine, one of the world’s leading salvage companies, under supervision of a federal interagency. Those tasks included blade rotations to reduce blade debris, the removal of the hanging portion of the blade, clearing of debris from the platform, and addressing seabed debris. The first three tasks have been completed and the fourth, the removal of seabed debris, began on October 13, 2024, and will be completed this week. The final task, removal of the root of the blade from the rotor hub, is expected to occur in the coming weeks.
Environmental Analysis
Following the initial assessment of environmental impacts from the blade incident, GE Vernova laid out further plans to conduct a more comprehensive analysis, working together with federal, state, and local partners. GE Vernova officials provided an update on the environmental assessment to the Town of Nantucket on September 18, including findings on the chemical composition of blade debris and ongoing efforts to sample the water column, sediment, and shellfish. The sampling and analysis work has commenced, and the results will be shared in the coming weeks.
Preparing for Return to Service: Blade Quality Reviews and Process
In addition, the plan outlined GE Vernova’s three-stage approach to preparing blades for an anticipated return to service. After implementing extensive quality checks – including the re-examination of more than 8,300 ultrasound images per blade and physical blade inspections with “crawler” drones – and out of an abundance of caution, GE Vernova intends to remove some blades from the Vineyard Wind farm while strengthening other blades as needed to support the safety and operational readiness of this project.
Return to Turbine and Progress on Blade Installation
Following authorization in mid-August to resume certain activities, eight new towers and nacelles have been installed on the project. On October 22, 2024 the companies were granted approval to return to installing new blades on turbines at the project once stringent safety and operational conditions are met. The companies will continue to make progress on these elements in upcoming weeks prior to installation.
As GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind focus on these critical pathways, the final step in the action plan – operations and power production – will resume only after additional progress is made and all requisite approvals are granted.
GE Vernova Chief Sustainability Officer Roger Martella said, “In alignment with our commitment to being thorough and not rushed before returning to work, we continue to make progress executing on our August Incident and Response Action Plan with safety, operational integrity, and long-term reliability as our top priorities for this important project. We will continue to engage with our stakeholders as we move forward through executing and completing the remaining steps in the plan.”
“We appreciate the commitment our team has shown to this project and the care with which the federal, tribal, state, and local authorities have approached it,” said Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller. “The safety of our team, of the surrounding communities, and of the local environment has always been at the forefront of everything we do, and we are confident that the quality and safety assessments that have been undertaken over the last three months will make this a better, stronger, and safer project going forward.”
Upon completion, Vineyard Wind is expected to generate electricity for the equivalent of powering roughly 400,000 homes and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, create approximately 3,600 full time equivalent (FTE) job years, save customers approximately $1.4 billion over the first 20 years of operation, and reduce carbon emissions by more than ~1.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of taking approximately 325,000 cars off the road annually.
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