Following a probe into the Vineyard Wind 1 blade that failed over the summer, GE Vernova’s offshore wind turbine manufacturing plant in Quebec, Canada has fired or suspended several workers.
Reuters originally reported the news last week citing sources “familiar with the matter,” and GE Vernova confirmed the reports this week. GE Vernova began the probe in response to a July incident, in which a suspected “manufacturing deviation” led to a Haliade-X turbine blade breaking, causing foam and fiberglass to plummet into the waters around Nantucket. Debris continued to wash ashore for weeks after the incident, putting Vineyard Wind 1 and GE Vernova in an uncomfortable spotlight.
Vineyard Wind said none of its employees or contractors were in the area at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported. Several days later, the joint venture began mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island and recover debris.
Shortly after the incident, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said that operations at Vineyard Wind had been suspended until it could be determined whether the “blade failure” impacted other turbine blades on the development. As a result, power production in the lease area was suspended and the installation of a new wind turbine generator construction was also on hold. In August, Vineyard Wind said it obtained federal approval to continue work on the wind farm.
The blade that caused the Vineyard Wind incident was fabricated at the LM Wind Power factory in Gaspé, Canada, one of two places where the Haliade-X blades are made. GE Vernova said in an August earnings call that the company would reinspect all of the blades manufactured at that plant. The other factory in Cherbourg, France has also made recent headlines for the wrong reasons after an “operational incident” involving a mold used to make a Haliade-X component back in April.
In September, GE Vernova said it planned to cut up to 900 offshore wind jobs globally in a move to reduce its offshore wind footprint. The move came not only amid uncertainty and supply chain constraints in the offshore market but also another incident involving a GE Vernova Haliade-X turbine blade – this time at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the northeast coast of England. However, in this case, GE Vernova said its analysis showed that the blade event was not caused by an installation or manufacturing issue but instead occurred during the commissioning process, when the turbine was left in a fixed and static position, rendering it vulnerable during a subsequent storm with high winds.
Vineyard Wind is located about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. Once fully operational, Vineyard Wind 1 will deliver 806 MW.