After initially signaling plans for an “independent assessment,” federal regulators told the News Service on Thursday that they are conducting a “comprehensive and independent investigation” into an incident that sent part of a Vineyard Wind turbine blade tumbling into the Atlantic Ocean and scattered debris across area beaches.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Thursday that the agency’s work will take a close look at the root cause of the July 13 incident at a turbine that was undergoing testing off the coast of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
“BSEE is conducting its own comprehensive and independent investigation into the causes and factors contributing to the incident and will evaluate all information provided to us,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the News Service. “BSEE’s policy is to release its findings to the public once our investigation is complete. Currently, there is no specific timeframe for the completion of the investigation.”
After the incident, BSEE ordered Vineyard Wind to stop generating power and to halt installation of new turbines, and issued a “preservation order” that a spokesperson previously said would “safeguard any evidence that may be relevant to determining the cause of the incident.”
It’s unclear how long Vineyard Wind, the first offshore wind installation delivering clean power to Massachusetts and the regional grid, will remain offline and how much the upheaval will delay plans to deliver the substantial remainder of the project.
Vineyard Wind has 10 operational turbines that, before federal overseers ordered a halt, were delivering about 136 megawatts of power to the grid. Project leaders plan to scale up to 62 turbines providing 806 MW, and Massachusetts and other states are involved in a years-long long process to compel private companies to significantly expand the footprint of offshore wind energy in federally leased…