WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement today issued a new Suspension Order to Vineyard Wind 1 clarifying operational requirements and listing actions the company must take prior to personnel boarding any wind turbines.
The order comes as the bureau continues its oversight and investigation into the July 13, 2024, turbine generator blade failure. The order continues to prohibit Vineyard Wind 1 from generating electricity from any of the facilities or building any additional wind turbine generator towers, nacelles, or blades. This order also requires Vineyard Wind 1 to submit to BSEE an analysis of the risk to personnel and mitigation measures developed prior to personnel boarding any facility. Vineyard Wind 1 is not restricted from performing other activities besides those specifically directed for suspension or additional analysis. For example, Vineyard Wind 1 is still permitted to install inter-array cables and conduct surveys outside of the damaged turbine’s safety exclusion zone.
“As our investigation continues, we are serving as a federal liaison between the responsible party, Vineyard Wind 1, GE Vernova, and other federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies,” said BSEE Director Kevin Sligh. “We are continuously engaged across all the incident response entities to ensure response operations are well coordinated and conducted safely through information sharing, planning and analysis of proposed activities.”
“BSEE prioritizes offshore worker safety and environmental protection, and we will use all tools available to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations on the Outer Continental Shelf,” said Director Sligh.
BSEE is conducting its own comprehensive and independent investigation into the causes and factors contributing to the incident and will evaluate all information provided to us. Those findings will be released to the public once our investigation is complete.
BSEE will continue to provide periodic updates here, as additional information is available. For information on the response and recover efforts, visit Vineyard Wind news and announcements.
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