Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Nantucket evaluates economic, environmental fallout from turbine blade failure
Credit: Published: Oct. 09, 2024 | By Alvin Buyinza | masslive.com ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Three months after a blade from an offshore wind turbine near Martha’s Vineyard fell, Nantucket is addressing the failure’s economic and environmental impact.
“While our community is committed to doing our part to address climate change, we have had to confront the very real and lasting adverse impacts of offshore wind development,” the Nantucket Select Board wrote in a letter to the Cape island’s residents on Wednesday.
“The turbine blade failure contaminated our coastal waters, restricted access to our beaches, negatively impacted our local businesses, and has required months of focused attention to the aftermath which continues unabated,” the letter continued.
In July, Vineyard Wind, the company building the 62-turbine wind farm, said a 107-meter blade fell from a turbine into the ocean.
The select board said in the letter it is hiring damage experts to assess the harm the fallen wind turbine may have had on Nantucket’s environment and economy.
The select board said it is also gathering information from residents – some business owners and fishermen – to calculate economic or other losses.
The town’s government is researching the likelihood that other turbines may fall and the financial costs associated with that.
The select board is also directly negotiating with the companies and government officials responsible for running Vineyard Wind 1, the name of the offshore wind farm.
In this regard, the select board said it is also insisting there be additions to its community benefit agreement. The additions would help improve communications and protocols for future technology issues, it said.
The select board said it demands it be compensated for this fallen wind turbine. The board wants to establish future safeguards from Vineyard Wind’s owners and GE Vernova, the company that built the fallen turbine blade.
The select board said it also wants to collaborate with Massachusetts to require the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to assess potential environmental harm from future infrastructure failures before construction.
The select board said it has been in meetings with the attorneys representing Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova since the wind turbine fell in July.
“Although three months may seem like a long time for negotiations to be ongoing, we trust the community’s understanding as we address a wide range of complex issues and concerns,” the letter reads. “We remain committed to achieving a resolution that is both effective and timely.”
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
Wind Watch relies entirely on User Contributions |
(via Stripe) |
(via Paypal) |
Share:
Tag: Accidents |