GE Vernova to Pay Nantucket $10.5M for Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Failure
Nantucket’s city government has reached a $10.5 million definitive settlement agreement with GE Vernova, the manufacturer of the offshore wind turbine blade that failed in 2024 and littered the coastline with debris. The Town of Nantucket commended GE Vernova for its leadership in reaching the agreement, while it was noted by observers that the developer of the Vineyard Wind farm is not a direct party to the settlement.
A portion of the settlement money will be placed in a third-party administered Community Claims Fund to provide compensation for claims of economic harm made by residents and local businesses. The administrator will accept claims for the next six months but will require proof of the expenses or losses.
The settlement relates to the failure of a turbine blade on one of the GE Vernova Haliade-X turbines that had been installed at the site, which is about 15 miles southwest of Nantucket. The wind farm developed had highlighted that first power was coming from the project early in 2024, and by mid-year, it reported that 10 turbines had been commissioned and that a total of 21 of the planned 62 turbines were in place and preparing for commissioning.
One of the approximately 350-foot blades malfunctioned on the night of July 13. The turbine was taken offline, but debris from the blade was spotted floating in the ocean and began washing up on Nantucket beaches. Some pieces of the blade were resting on the foundation and others dangled from the turbine. Later reports indicated that additional debris had fallen into the ocean.
Nantucket says in the settlement announcement that when the blade failed, debris settled on the ocean floor, entered the water table, and littered Nantucket’s beaches for months, requiring an extensive cleanup effort. It says the incident scattered foam, fiberglass, and other debris along Nantucket’s shores during the height of the summer tourist season.
GE Vernova quickly identified a deviation in the manufacturing process at its plant in Quebec. It said the adhesion was improper and should have been caught in the quality control process.
Nantucket reported fining pieces of debris for months (Government of Nantucket photo)
Installation at the Massachusetts offshore wind farm was suspended for months with GE Vernova using high-tech crawlers and other inspections of the approximately 60 blades that had already been installed. The company agreed to remove blades from up to 22 wind turbines that showed manufacturing deviations and substitute blades from a plant in Europe. U.S. regulators permitted the foundation work to resume in the fall and full installation to resume in 2025.
Vineyard Wind, which is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has said it remains committed to the project. Vineyard Wind commissioned one turbine at the beginning of 2025 but has not given an updated timeline for when the project will be completed.
Critics of the sector pounced on the failure saying that it demonstrated some of the risks of offshore wind power. They have continued to oppose the industry while the Trump administration has taken steps to stop future offshore wind power developments. While Vineyard Wind and the nearby Revolution Wind are proceeding, the zone, which was viewed with promise, has seen most of the planned projects put on hold due to the current uncertainties.