A damaged GE Vernova wind turbine blade washed up on Nantucket Island's shore.
Operations at Vineyard Wind have been suspended pending investigation.
The blade may have an increased risk of detachment.
Nantucket Island, a popular summer tourist destination in Massachusetts, has been impacted by an incident at Vineyard Wind's offshore wind development. A turbine blade from the project washed up on the beaches, leading to a suspension of operations and debris collection.
According to reports from multiple sources, including the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and Vineyard Wind itself, a damaged turbine blade was discovered on Nantucket's shores. The blade is known as a GE Vernova blade, which may have an increased possibility of detaching soon.
The BSEE ordered the suspension of operations at Vineyard Wind until it can be determined whether this
GE Vernova, a top US wind turbine manufacturer, has experienced several recent blade failures in Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and the UK.
Investigations revealed different root causes for the damage including transportation, handling and manufacturing deviations.
Accuracy
The broken turbine is a major setback to Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.
The total number of broken turbine blades has been relatively low compared to the large number of blades manufactured each year.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes an appeal to rarity when quoting a GE Vernova representative stating 'highly unusual and rare' about broken wind turbines. However, the article itself provides evidence of multiple broken blades from GE Vernova in different countries. This is a contradiction and an example of an exaggerated claim or false authority fallacy.
]A company source with knowledge of the investigations revealed there were different root causes for the damage, including transportation, handling, and manufacturing deviations[.
']It is clear that major (manufacturers) have all faced blade breakages[.',
Bias
(95%)
The author uses language that downplays the frequency of wind turbine blade failures by describing them as 'highly unusual and rare' despite providing evidence of multiple incidents in different countries. This can be seen as an attempt to minimize the impact and severity of the issue.
>A GE Vernova representative told Nantucket residents and officials on Wednesday that the broken turbine was ‘highly unusual and rare.’<
A damaged turbine blade from an offshore wind farm detached on Thursday morning and fell into the ocean.
Vineyard Wind is deploying additional resources to aid in recovering the remains of the damaged turbine blade.
Additional debris could wash ashore on Sunday, and crews are surveying Nantucket’s northern beaches for debris.
Accuracy
, A massive section of the damaged 350-foot turbine blade had sunk to the ocean floor and would be recovered ‘in due course.’
No debris was found at Jetties Beach on Saturday morning ahead of the triathlon.
The cleanup effort continued on Saturday as town officials on Nantucket planned to meet this week to further discuss the incident.
The Select Board will meet in executive session at noon Tuesday to discuss ‘potential litigation in connection with Vineyard Wind.’
At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the town manager is due to give an update on Vineyard Wind.
On Friday, town officials said a massive section of the damaged 350-foot turbine blade had sunk to the ocean floor and would be recovered ‘in due course.’
Vineyard Wind has hired a salvage company to retrieve the damaged blade, which is under surveillance.
The wind farm developer said vessels with side-scan sonar and subsea monitoring equipment are in the area.
A blade from one of the Vineyard Wind turbines broke into pieces and debris is washing up on Nantucket beaches.
The damaged blade appeared to experience a break approximately 65 feet from its root.
Accuracy
The damage to the blade occurred at Vineyard Wind, which is 14 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and began generating electricity in February.
Vineyard Wind plans to install a total of 62 turbines by the end of the year that could produce 800 megawatts of electricity.
A broken offshore wind turbine from the Vineyard Wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket has been causing debris to wash up on Nantucket shore, leading to beach closures.
The massive turbine blade was ‘broken’ and ‘folded over’, with a significant part detaching from the turbine early Thursday morning.
Foam debris and fiberglass, including large and dangerously sharp pieces, have washed onto beaches as a result of the failure.
Accuracy
A massive offshore wind turbine blade broke and spread debris across Nantucket beaches.
GE Vernova, a top US wind turbine manufacturer, has experienced several recent blade failures in Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and the UK.
Investigations revealed different root causes for the damage including transportation, handling and manufacturing deviations.
The federal government suspended operations and construction of the project while it conducts its own investigation of the broken blade.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains several instances of deception. The author uses emotional manipulation by describing the situation as 'angering locals' and 'prompting questions and anger from city officials'. She also uses sensationalism by stating that the turbine blade is 'as long as a football field' and that there are 'large and dangerously sharp pieces of debris'. Additionally, the author selectively reports information by focusing on the negative impacts of the turbine failure without mentioning any potential benefits or context about the frequency of such incidents. The author also uses editorializing language when she describes the turbine breakage as a 'major setback' and 'a big boost to the state’s ability to generate electricity' being in 'limbo'.
A wind turbine breaking is highly unusual and rare.
The broken turbine is a major setback to the project, which had been seen as a bright spot for the struggling US offshore wind industry.
The debris from a broken offshore wind turbine has for days been washing up on the Nantucket shore, prompting beach closures and frustrating locals at the peak of the summer season.
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes an appeal to authority when stating that a wind turbine breaking is 'highly unusual and rare' without providing any evidence or data to support this claim. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing the situation as a 'very serious situation' and 'major setback', but does not provide any specific information on the potential danger or impact of the debris.
]The massive turbine blade - as long as a football field - was part of the Vineyard Wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts and its islands, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The blade was ‘broken’ and ‘folded over’ on Saturday, Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Møller told Nantucket residents and officials at a public meeting Wednesday night.[
A wind turbine breaking is ‘highly unusual and rare’, Roger Martella, head of government affairs at GE Vernova, said Wednesday.
A turbine blade from Vineyard Wind’s offshore wind development on Nantucket Island washed up on the beaches, leading to a suspension of operations.
The damaged blade, known as a GE Vernova blade, may have an increased possibility of detaching soon.
Accuracy
The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement ordered Vineyard Wind to suspend operations until the cause of the blade failure is determined.
Six truckloads of debris were collected from Nantucket’s South Shore beaches.
