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Wind Power News: Massachusetts
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Offshore wind — A new way of whaling
Around 1690 when Nantucket Island’s English settlers first ventured out in pursuit of the right whale, they didn’t have to go very far. As author Nathaniel Philbrick describes, “Every autumn, hundreds of right whales converged to the south of the island and remained until the early spring. Right whales—so named because they were “the right whale to kill”—grazed the waters off Nantucket as if they were seagoing cattle, straining the nutrient-rich surface of the ocean through the bushy plates of . . . Complete story »
At sea and on land, protests against Vineyard Wind
At sea and on land, Nantucket residents protested on Sunday against Vineyard Wind and the development of offshore wind energy in the waters southwest of the island. Ever since the blade failure of one of Vineyard Wind’s GE Vernova Haliade-X turbines on July 13 that sent thousands of pieces of fiberglass and styrofoam debris onto Nantucket’s beaches and beyond, anger over the country’s first large-scale offshore wind farm has been brewing on the island. A “flotilla” protest organized by the . . . Complete story »
On the lookout for Nantucket wind farm fragments
Debris from a 115,000-pound, 300-foot-tall GE Vernova wind turbine blade, which fell from the Vineyard Wind farm off Nantucket in mid-July while it was being tested, may end up at southern-facing beaches in Montauk during the coming days, East Hampton Town officials warned Wednesday. [Bonnie Brady posted on X on August 18 that she had found 6 pounds of debris in Montauk.] The pieces of the blade, made of fiberglass and foam, are assumed to be small or even “popcorn . . . Complete story »
Tempers flare in Newport. Turbine debris found on Long Island. Vineyard Wind’s Suspension Order.
As we follow the developments of the Vineyard Wind offshore turbine blade accident, we note the more and more frequent postings and photos of blade debris, not less, as time passes, being found on shores of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, the Cape, Portsmouth RI, Tiverton, Little Compton, and now off Montauk Long Island. Tempers are at a breaking point, as seen at a recent Newport City Hall meeting – the Newport Police are now trying to find the man in this . . . Complete story »
State and federal regulators address Vineyard Wind turbine blade failure at Nantucket Select Board meeting
It is “very unlikely” that any chemicals released from the Vineyard Wind blade collapse pose a significant risk to humans or animals, according to Wendy Heiger-Bernays, the chief researcher at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Research and Standards, who attended Wednesday’s Nantucket Select Board meeting along with other state and federal regulators. That assertion was made as even more debris from Vineyard Wind’s damaged Haliade-X turbine blade may be headed toward the island soon as a result . . . Complete story »
Nantucket blasts Massachusetts state senator for leaving meeting early: ‘A disgrace’
Nantucket residents are blasting state Sen. Julian Cyr, D–Cape and Islands, for not staying at a Select Board meeting that addressed Vineyard Wind, while the senator is connecting his departure to travel logistics. Cyr traveled to Nantucket for Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, his first appearance at a meeting following last month’s incident, resulting in a debris mess across the island and region. But the senator told the board and residents in attendance he couldn’t stay for the entire meeting because . . . Complete story »
Debris from broken Vineyard Wind turbine washes ashore in Falmouth
Debris from the broken Vineyard Wind turbine off Nantucket has washed up on Cape Cod beaches. Falmouth officials on Tuesday issued a warning that debris was found at Black Beach, Chapoquoit Beach, Woodneck Beach, and Old Silver Beach, according to a news release. The town announced they are monitoring the situation and will clean up debris that washes ashore. According to the release, the town will “hold Vineyard Wind responsible for the cost of cleanup.” Vineyard Wind sent cleanup crews . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine blade accident off Nantucket raising concerns on LI
As the developer of Empire Wind sets the stage for construction of a project 12 miles off Long Beach, officials and residents are keeping an eye on the aftermath of an offshore wind turbine blade break off the Massachusetts coast. The blade mishap, in waters 12 miles from Nantucket Island, has left a debris field on popular beaches and led to a halt of turbine construction work for Vineyard Wind, the nation’s second project in federal waters, which already had . . . Complete story »
Massachusetts political contributions from Nantucket wind farm developer scrutinized
As Nantucket continues to reel from the Vineyard Wind turbine blade failure, critics are raising concerns around how the project’s parent company, Avangrid, has donated thousands of dollars in campaign money to state elected officials. A Herald analysis found that employees who list Avangrid as their employer have made 217 donations totaling $57,677 to dozens of state and local campaigns since March 2018, two months before the Baker administration selected a Vineyard Wind bid for contract negotiation. Notable figures include . . . Complete story »
Cape Cod town to go to trial after residents sue over closed-door meetings on wind farm
A lawsuit seeking a temporary stoppage to a proposed wind farm in the Nantucket Sound is scheduled to head to trial in August, with a group of Cape Cod residents slamming a town council for conducting closed-door meetings relative to the project. Barnstable County Justice Michael Callan has set a bench trial for Aug. 27, as nine Centerville residents allege the Town Council, town manager and town attorneys violated an open meeting law by discussing and voting on the project . . . Complete story »
