Wind Energy – Vineyard Wind
GE Vernova says that the breakage of the blade on one of GE Vernova’s Haliade-X wind turbines at the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm in the US was caused by a manufacturing deviation.
GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said on an earnings call Wednesday that insufficient bonding at one of its factories in Canada was responsible for the blade coming apart and that there was no indication of a design flaw. As a result, the company will reinspect all 150 blades that had been made at the factory.
Strazik also pointed out that a blade event that happened on a Haliade-X turbine at Dogger Bank A in the UK this May was due to an installation error.
“To identify deviations, we are going to go and do this on every blade. Prudent, thorough process,” Strazik promised. “We’re not going to talk about the timeline today. We have work to do. But I have a high degree of confidence that we can do this.”
Parts of the blade, which is more than 100 meters (109 yards) long, began to fall into the ocean July 13 at the Vineyard Wind project and crews in boats and on beaches have been collecting truckloads of debris ever since. The company said that the debris consists of nontoxic fiberglass fragments and that any washing ashore are pieces of one square foot or less.
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said last week that operations at Vineyard Wind have been suspended until it can be determined whether the blade failure impacts other turbine blades on the development.
“As GE Vernova continues the investigation into the root cause of the damage to its blade, Vineyard Wind 1 remains focused on coordinating with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, assisting in the recovery of debris, and prioritizing the safety of personnel, local communities, and the environment,” Craig Gilvarg, a company spokesman, said in a statement.
