GE Vernova Removing More Vineyard Wind Blades While Strenghtening Others Following Inspections

October 24, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Following a July blade failure incident, GE Vernova plans to remove some blades and strengthen others at the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm in the US.

The companies are implementing the incident and response action plan, which was announced in August.

The plan outlined steps to safely remove the remainder of the damaged blade on turbine AW-38, remove any remaining debris, complete environmental studies, implement actions for blade readiness for service, and, ultimately, resume turbine installation and operations at the 800 MW Vineyard Wind 1 project.

Regarding the blade removal operation, which was developed together with Resolve Marine, the company completed the first three tasks, while the fourth, the removal of seabed debris, began on 13 October and should be completed this week.

The final task, the removal of the root of the blade from the rotor hub, is expected to occur in the coming weeks.

In addition, the plan outlined GE Vernova’s three-stage approach to preparing blades for an anticipated return to service.

After implementing extensive quality checks, including the re-examination of more than 8,300 ultrasound images per blade and physical blade inspections with “crawler” drones, GE Vernova intends to remove some blades from the Vineyard Wind farm while strengthening others as needed to support the safety and operational readiness of this project, said Vineyard Wind.

Following authorization in mid-August to resume certain activities, eight new towers and nacelles have been installed on the project, according to Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).

On 22 October, the companies were granted approval to return to installing new blades on turbines once safety and operational conditions are met.

“The companies will continue to make progress on these elements in upcoming weeks prior to installation”, said Vineyard Wind.

The 800 MW offshore wind farm will comprise 62 GE Vernova’s Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbines, each with a 220-metre rotor and 107-metre blades.

Wind turbine installation started last year and the first power was generated in January 2024.

At the end of June, ten turbines delivered more than 136 MW to the electric grid in Massachusetts, making Vineyard Wind 1 the largest operating offshore wind project in the US.

“The safety of our team, of the surrounding communities, and of the local environment has always been at the forefront of everything we do, and we are confident that the quality and safety assessments that have been undertaken over the last three months will make this a better, stronger, and safer project going forward”, said Klaus Moeller, Vineyard Wind CEO.