GE Vernova to Pay Nantucket USD 10.5 Million for Losses Caused by Blade Debris

July 14, 2025, by Adrijana Buljan

The Town and County of Nantucket in Massachusetts and GE Vernova have reached a settlement agreement worth USD 10.5 million (approximately EUR 9 million), which the wind turbine OEM will pay to compensate the Town and local businesses for losses resulting from the failure of a turbine blade on the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project in the summer of 2024.

Vineyard Wind damage — Source: Town of Nantucket; July 2024

On 13 July 2024, a blade damage incident took place on one of the turbines installed on Vineyard Wind 1, located 15 miles (approximately 24 kilometres) off the coast of Massachusetts. Following an investigation, GE Vernova found that the damage was a result of a manufacturing deviation, and later decided to remove the blades that were produced in the same factory.

A few days after the incident, the company said that a “significant part” of the remaining blade came loose from the turbine and mobilised debris recovery teams.

On 16 July last year, GE Vernova said it had recovered three large fragments as it continued to monitor the offshore area for any floating blade debris, which consists of non-toxic fibreglass fragments ranging in size from small pieces to large sections.

Vineyard Wind Commences Debris Recovery Following Turbine Blade Incident

Fixed-Bottom

The Town of Nantucket said on 11 July 2025, as it reached a definitive settlement agreement with GE Vernova, that the incident scattered foam, fibreglass, and other debris along Nantucket’s shores during the height of the summer tourist season.

“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 in which many community members joined”, the Town of Nantucket said in a press release on 11 July.

Under the settlement agreement, Nantucket will establish a Community Claims Fund to provide compensation for economic harm that resulted from the blade incident last year.

“Nantucket will engage a professional, independent third-party administrator to evaluate claims from local businesses and issue payments”, the town administration said.

Only weeks before the blade damage and the subsequent removal of all the blades produced in GE’s Quebec factory, Vineyard Wind 1 became the largest operating offshore wind project in the US as it started delivering more than 136 MW to the electric grid in Massachusetts.

Wind turbine installation at the project site was stopped following the incident last year by the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), which lifted the suspension in January 2025.