A Vineyard Wind turbine blade broke over the weekend, scattering debris into the Atlantic and prompting an investigation by the manufacturer and federal officials.

The offshore wind energy company, which is in the middle of constructing a 62-turbine wind farm about 14 miles south of the Vineyard, said a 107-meter blade broke on Saturday about 20 meters from the root, but was largely still attached to the turbine.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is investigating the incident and said Monday that operations at the wind farm are shut down until further notice. 

The malfunction is a setback for the Vineyard Wind, the first approved and currently largest offshore wind energy project in the country. 

A massive cleanup on Nantucket has been underway.

Courtesy of the town of Nantucket

A massive cleanup on Nantucket has been underway.

Courtesy of the town of Nantucket

The damaged turbine was not fully operational and was still undergoing testing, according to Vineyard Wind. The broken turbine scattered debris into the ocean, and cleanup crews were combing Nantucket beaches after several reports of green fiberglass washing ashore.

The cause of the breakage is still unknown and no staff or third party contractors were in the area Saturday at the time of the damage. 

“As part of its permitting, Vineyard Wind has detailed plans to guide its response to incidents such as this,” said Vineyard wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg. “Following those protocols, Vineyard Wind established a safety perimeter, and worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to issue notice to mariners.”

The Coast Guard first received reports of debris near the turbines at about 7 p.m. Saturday, and a 500-meter safety zone was established around the area. 

The Vineyard Wind turbines are over 800 feet tall, with blades as long as a football field. As of last month, Vineyard Wind had 10 turbines in operation, generating about 136 megawatts of power. About a dozen more were under construction. The turbines are manufactured by GE Vernova and the company is responsible for them as they are initially installed.  

In the statement Monday, Vineyard Wind said GE Vernova will also be conducting the investigation into what went wrong. 

“GE, as the project’s turbine and blade manufacturer and installation contractor, will now be conducting the analysis into the root cause of the incident,” Mr. Gilvarg said.

The issue was isolated to a single turbine, according to a GE Vernova spokesperson. 

Most of the debris has been recovered or is in the process of being recovered, though smaller debris remains adrift and boaters should be cautious, Coast Guard Lieut. Samantha Corcoran said. 

Nantucket charter boat captain Carl Bois was in the area on Sunday and saw what appeared to be large fiberglass-like panels and bits of styrofoam floating in the water. He wasn’t sure if it was from the turbines, but the debris was floating east, the same direction as the tide and the wind, he told the Gazette. 

“I’ve never seen anything on the water quite like that,” he said. 

On Tuesday, Nantucket closed all of its south shore beaches due to debris that had come ashore. Vineyard Wind announced it was sending a team to pick up debris. Matching Mr. Bois’ description, the company said the pieces were non-toxic fiberglass fragments. 

Vineyard Wind recommended the public leave cleanup efforts to the company, and for the next several days employees would be walking Nantucket’s beaches to collect debris.

Given the region’s current and wind direction, Vineyard Wind didn’t anticipate debris showing up on the Vineyard.

Officials with BSEE said they have a team at the wind farm working closely with Vineyard Wind to analyze what went wrong.

State officials have touted offshore wind energy as a major player in efforts to battle climate change. On Monday, the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs said it was briefed on the incident and the company’s safety plan.

“There is a rigorous, federally approved safety process in place and we will continue to monitor the situation closely as Vineyard Wind, GE, and the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement conduct an analysis of the cause and their next steps,” said spokesperson Maria Hardiman. “We are grateful to the trained personnel who addressed the situation so quickly.”

When completed, Vineyard Wind is expected to produce 800 megawatts of power. It is one of several planned for a wide swath of ocean to the Island’s south. 

The company is a partnership between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and has an operations headquarters and marine terminal along Beach Road in Vineyard Haven. 

In his statement, Mr. Gilvarg said the company is working to make sure the area is safe. 

“As that analysis takes place, Vineyard Wind will continue working with federal, state, and local stakeholders to ensure the health and safety of its workforce, mariners, and the environment,” he said.