A Massachusetts offshore wind farm that froze construction after a massive blade splintered and fell into the Atlantic Ocean last month resumed turbine installation Tuesday, according to the company.
Under a federal order, the project is still banned from installing its 351-foot GE Vernova turbine blades or generating electricity.
Vineyard Wind is one of the first major offshore wind projects in the nation and its broken blade has cost the developer weeks of construction. The incident has dealt a blow to an industry key to President Joe Biden’s clean energy goals, and it’s prompted calls from the critics of offshore wind power to halt all ocean wind arrays currently being built in the country.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) approved limited construction activity to resume at Vineyard in an updated suspension order Saturday. The agency, which oversees offshore energy development in the U.S., is allowing the wind developer to continue installing towers and nacelles — the bus-sized container at the top of a turbine that holds its gearbox — as well as power cables that run between turbines.
