A huge wind farm is causing trouble for Massachusetts beachgoers. The Nantucket Harbormaster announced Tuesday that much of the area’s shoreline was closed to visitors after pieces of wind turbines started washing up on shore this week.
The Vineyard Winds energy project is the source of the damaged pieces
A huge wind farm is causing trouble for Massachusetts beachgoers. The Nantucket Harbormaster announced Tuesday that much of the area’s shoreline was closed to visitors after pieces of wind turbines started washing up on shore this week.
“All south shore beaches are closed to swimming, due to large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards,” the office said in a Facebook $META post. The town of Nantucket added that the beaches would be closed “until further notice.”
The pieces were coming from Vineyard Winds, a planned 806-megawatt offshore wind power project whose first phase began operating earlier this year. The project is a collaboration between the Danish investment fund Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and the U.S.-based clean-energy firm Avangrid Renewables.
In a statement released Monday, Vineyard Winds said that the debris was introduced into the waters off Cape Cod when a blade was damaged on one of its turbines over the weekend, though it did not specify the cause of the damage. The company said that General Electric $GE, the manufacturer of the turbine in question, has sent a team to investigate what went wrong. A followup statement released Tuesday outlining recovery plans said that “Vineyard Wind is fully committed to a swift and safe recovery of all debris, with an unwavering focus on community safety and environmental protection.”
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.