Debris from a broken wind turbine washes up on beaches in Massachusetts

Officials say an investigation is underway after an “incident” in the waters off the coast of Massachusetts over the weekend damaged the blade of a massive wind turbine.

According to the developers of the offshore wind project, rotor blade damage occurred on Saturday evening on a Vineyard Wind wind turbine that is almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

“Vineyard Wind experienced blade damage to a wind turbine in its offshore development area. No personnel or third parties were in the vicinity of the turbine at the time and all employees of Vineyard Wind and its contractors are safe,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.”

ACK4Whales, a grassroots organization seeking “science-based answers to the looming cumulative impacts of offshore wind projects” off the coast of Massachusetts, shared a photo of the broken turbine with the caption: “The blades are already breaking. Where is it? Did boats hit it? Why did it break off?”

Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has now set up a safety perimeter and is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to inform mariners of a 500-meter safety zone around the affected turbine.

General Electric is conducting an investigation into the incident.

“GE, the manufacturer and installer of the project’s turbines and blades, will now analyze the root cause of the incident,” the statement continued. “While that analysis takes place, Vineyard Wind will continue to work with federal, state, tribal and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners and the environment.”

The Nantucket Current reported that pieces of the broken turbine blade were found washed up on Nobadeer Beach, Madaket Beach and Ladies Beach.

Vineyard Wind mobilized debris recovery teams on Nantucket to search the island’s south-facing beaches for debris damaged by the rotor blades and successfully recovered three large fragments.

The company stressed that it is “fully committed to the rapid and safe recovery of all debris, while tirelessly keeping the safety of the public and environmental protection in mind.”

Federal, state, tribal and local authorities are assisting General Electric in investigating the cause of the damage.

Vineyard Wind is the country’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, currently powering tens of thousands of Massachusetts homes.

The GE Haliade-X turbines have a height of 254 meters at the tip of their rotor blades.

The FREE Boston 25 News App for breaking news.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Þjórsárdalur. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW