(from the BOE archives)
Vineyard Wind’s finest! Note the blade failures!
Wild Well Control!
Our North Atlantic District crew, Hyannis, Halloween 1981 <sigh>
Posts Tagged ‘Vineyard Wind’
Halloween favorites! 😀
Posted in Uncategorized, well control incidents, Offshore Wind, tagged Vineyard Wind, Nantucket, Halloween, costume awards, Wild Well Control on October 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Still waiting for …
Posted in accidents, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, pipelines, Regulation, tagged aban pearl, California decommissioning, Empire Wind, IRF performance data, Nord Stream sabotage, OCS incident data, offshore wind incidents, pipeline regulation, Platforms Hogan and Houchin, Russell Peterson, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind on September 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
- BSEE investigation report on the 7/13/2024 Vineyard Wind turbine blade failure and subsequent lightning strike. Given the ongoing offshore wind debate and legal challenges, it seems inconceivable that this report has still not been issued.
- Updated incident tables for OCS oil and gas operations. The most recent data are nearly 2 years old. The public has a right to timely information on the type of incidents that are occurring, the operating companies, and the resulting casualties, pollution, and property damage.
- A summary of incidents associated with the OCS wind program. From press reports, we know about the fatality during Empire Wind construction. What other incidents have occurred to date?
- Coast Guard report on the May 2008 Russell Peterson liftboat tragedy. A crew member died in what is believed to have been the first OCS wind program fatality. Some of us haven’t forgotten this horrible incident.
- Updated IRF safety performance data. The last data posted are for 2023.
- Hogan and Houchin decommissioning update, most notably the financial responsibility aspects
- Updated DOI-DOT offshore pipeline regulations
- Workable California decommissioning legislation
- Information on the mysterious sinking of the Aban Pearl semi-submersible in May 2010. An investigation was conducted, but the report was never shared.
- Report on the Nord Stream sabotage. 3 years have now elapsed since the pipeline bombing. Sweden and Denmark have conveniently opted not to issue reports. Germany continues to investigate, but politically sensitive questions about the responsible party may never be answered. Here is the latest take from Russia.
Are New England Wind 1 and 2 COP approvals next on the chopping block? It appears so.
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged BOEM, BSEE, COP, New England Wind, Vineyard Wind on September 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
See below. BOEM is reconsidering its approval of the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for New England Wind 1 and 2. The operator, Avangrid (Spain), is also a partner in the troubled Vineyard Wind project.
If you are keeping score, the approval of these COPs is being reconsidered:
- Maryland Wind
- SouthCoast Wind
- New England Wind 1 and 2
Other projects: Work has been stopped on the Revolution Wind project. Work was previously halted on the Vineyard Wind and Empire Wind projects, but has been allowed to resume. BSEE has still not published its report on the Vineyard Wind turbine blade failure that occurred on 7/13/2024. Other projects have been suspended by the owners at their own initiative (e.g. Atlantic Shores South, Gulf of Maine, Starboard Wind, Vineyard Wind 2, Beacon Wind). Meanwhile, litigation abounds!
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is the project with the most assured long-term future.
Offshore wind: End of the decommissioning free ride?
Posted in decommissioning, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged decommissioning, financial assurance, Offshore Wind, US Dept. of the Interior, Vineyard Wind on August 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The Dept. of the Interior is reviewing offshore wind regulations including “the Renewable Energy Modernization Rule, as well as financial assurance requirements and decommissioning cost estimates for offshore wind projects…”
Concerns about offshore wind financial assurance were first raised on this blog in response to a precedent setting waiver of the “pay as you build” requirement. Vineyard Wind was authorized to defer providing the full amount of required decommissioning financial assurance until year 15 of actual operations. The waiver request, which had been denied in 2017, was resubmitted in 2021 and approved. This questionable decision was consistent with the administration’s enthusiastic promotion of accelerated offshore wind development.
BOEM’s streamlining rule codified the deferred financial assurance option. The rule authorizes the transfer of decommissioning risks from developers to taxpayers and consumers by (1) not requiring any additional supplemental financial assurance at the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) approval stage, (2) not requiring supplemental assurance at the installation stage, and (3) providing for incremental supplemental assurance post-installation (e.g. for Vineyard Wind, the full amount is not due until 15 years after installation). See the rule’s previous and current language in the table below (emphasis added).
30 CFR 585.516 – What are the financial assurance requirements for each stage of my commercial lease?
| financial assurance required before BOEM will: | language prior to 4/24/2024 “modernization” rule | current language |
| Approve your COP | A supplemental bond or other financial assurance, in an amount determined by BOEM based on the complexity, number, and location of all facilities involved in your planned activities and commercial operation. The supplemental financial assurance requirement is in addition to your lease-specific bond and, if applicable, the previous supplement associated with SAP approval. | There is no supplemental bond requirement at the COP approval stage. |
| Allow you to install facilities approved in your COP | A decommissioning bond or other financial assurance, in an amount determined by BOEM based on anticipated decommissioning costs. BOEM will allow you to provide your financial assurance for decommissioning in accordance with the number of facilities installed or being installed. BOEM must approve the schedule for providing the appropriate financial assurance coverage. | A supplemental bond or other authorized financial assurance in an amount determined by BOEM based on anticipated decommissioning costs of the proposed facilities. If you propose to incrementally fund your financial assurance instrument, BOEM must approve the schedule for providing the appropriate financial assurance. |
The current financial assurance language is fuzzy enough that BOEM could deny deferred funding requests and require full financial assurance at the time facilities are installed. However, revising the language to clearly require that assurance be fully demonstrated prior to installation would provide clarity and eliminate the deferral option going forward.
The more difficult challenge may be adjusting financial assurance requirements for the projects already under construction. It’s also important to ensure that parent corporations are not shielded from decommissioning and other liability risks.
Nantucket Current opinion piece challenges Select Board rhetoric
Posted in Offshore Wind, energy policy, climate, tagged Vineyard Wind, Nantucket, climate change, historic preservation, Dawn Hill, Select Board on August 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Victoria Bonnet’s piece in the Nantucket Current challenges certain assertions made at the Select Board’s July 29 press conference. Key points:
“The government documents for ALL the Atlantic projects make it clear that there will be no benefit to climate change from implementing wide scale offshore wind.”
“And how is it possible that an attorney representing an island that is receiving the full brunt of the environmental impacts from this massive industrial project is lecturing the press that historic preservation can co-exist with offshore wind? The sight of just the first 40 towers from Vineyard Wind makes it clear they can’t.”
“Blindly following public relations statements about offshore wind as a critical solution to climate change that must be implemented immediately is how we got here in the first place. It has become clear that Nantucket receives no benefits from, but is significantly harmed by, Vineyard Wind. Our Select Board’s role should not be to advocate for any energy source that harms Nantucket.”
“Dawn Hill, a signatory to the Good Neighbor Agreement and the current Select Board Chair, was a bright spot in the meeting. Her acknowledgment that the project is way more impactful than communicated at the time the Good Neighbor Agreement was signed gives hope that more rational thinking and action is on the way.“
MV Times raises more Vineyard Wind transparency questions
Posted in decommissioning, energy policy, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged decommissioning, financial assurance, MV Times, transparency, turbine production data, Vineyard Wind on August 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
MV Times: “The recent site visit raised questions on the production of the wind farm. The Times has been able to neither verify the report independently nor confirm disparities between visuals on the ground and the Iberdrola report.”
- Avangrid, an Iberdrola subsidiary and one of Vineyard Wind’s developers, reported that 17 out of 62 turbines were currently sending power to the Massachusetts grid.
- The MV Times counted between five and nine turbines spinning at different points, and for different intervals, in their two hour visit.
- BOE comment: Although there are many possible reasons for this discrepancy, it’s reasonable to question the absence of turbine output data. Developers assert that generator specific data are sensitive and could have market implications. However, these turbines are operating on public lands and were in part publicly funded. Output data and other performance metrics clearly have policy implications.
- Note that Iberdrola “expect[s] no impact from new federal budget legislation, as it doesn’t impact 1,000 megawatts under construction.”
An MV Times photo of a Vineyard Wind substation is pasted below. These substations are large structures. Per the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for Vineyard Wind, the topsides for a conventional electrical service platform (ESP) (also known as an offshore substation or OSS) are 45 x 70 x 38 m, which is larger in surface area than a typical 6-pile oil and gas platform (~30 x 30 m), and is comparable in size to a large jackup drilling rig.
Decommissioning financial assurance requirements were relaxed to reduce development costs, thus increasing taxpayer liability risks. This policy decision should be reviewed.
Nantucket gives Vineyard Wind 2 weeks to respond to demands
Posted in Offshore Wind, energy policy, tagged Vineyard Wind, Nantucket, Good Neighbor Agreement, press conference, 15 demands, Dawn Hill on July 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »
On Tuesday morning, the Nantucket Select Board blasted Vineyard Wind and gave the company 2 weeks to respond to their 15 demands. The Nantucket Current provides good coverage of the press conference. The specific demands are listed below.
- Text emergency notifications to designated Town officials within 1 hour.
- Alert the same officials when blade monitors detect anomalies.
- Share with Nantucket the content of any written communications with or from federal agencies regarding project failures that have impacts on Nantucket.
- Email detailed monthly project updates to the Select Board and Town Manager.
- Present updates and take public questions at Select Board meetings upon request and no less than quarterly.
- Respond to written questions from the Select Board within three business days.
- Provide relevant project reports within 1 week of submission to any agency.
- Share all studies or data reports on adverse effects within five business days of receipt.
- Disclose correspondence with regulatory agencies within 15 business days.
- Notify the Town if the company is asserting any confidentiality claims to shield public disclosure of reports or data in regulatory filings.
- Pay liquidated damages ($250,000) per violation of the above communication protocols.
- Pay liquidated damages ($25,000) per turbine per day) for each day that turbine lights are on without the Aircraft Detection and Lighting System (ADLS) being active.
- Within 2 months, initiate a process to seek public input on new emergency response plans—including blade failure scenarios.
- Establish and maintain a $10 million escrow fund to ensure coverage of cleanup costs from future failures.
- Permanently suspend new projects if any future incident forces beach closures or shellfish harvesting bans for seven consecutive days or 14 total days in any 6-month period.
I observed the press conference on the Town’s YouTube channel, and my sense is that this may be Vineyard Wind’s last chance to amicably resolve these issues. Board member Dawn Hill, who now regrets signing the increasingly unpopular Good Neighbor Agreement with Vineyard Wind, didn’t hold back when she said:
“These wind turbines are bigger, brighter, and much more impactful than we ever thought, and not to mention the environmental hazard from failures. But my choice would be with our new, federal administration to really wake up and try and put an end to these things, because they’re not worth it to the coast of the United States.”
Vineyard Wind construction update from the New Bedford Light
Posted in Offshore Wind, tagged construction update, New Bedford Light, Vineyard Wind on July 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
- Vineyard Wind is now sending power from 17 turbines to the Massachusetts grid, up from four in May.
- According to satellite images, it appears at least 40 of the project’s 62 turbines are in the water as of this month.
- Can’t tell how many blades are from the Canadian plant that manufactured the blade that failed, and therefore need to be removed and replaced.
- A cross-examination of past detailed maps from Vineyard Wind and new satellite images suggests that about 22 of the 40 seemingly installed turbines are likely complete.
- A second turbine installation vessel, the new Danish jack-up Wind Pace, has arrived and is assisting the Sea Installer, the primary installation vessel.
Given the absence of updates from Vineyard Wind and its regulators, the excellent reporting by local media like the New Bedford Light and Nantucket Current is much appreciated.
Nantucket to hold Vineyard Wind press conference on Tuesday
Posted in accidents, energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged press conference, Town of Nantucket, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind on July 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Nantucket Current: Nantucket officials and attorneys will hold a press conference next Tuesday, July 29th, at 9:30 a.m. regarding “Vineyard Wind’s failure to meet its legal and public commitments to the community.”
Meanwhile, is this a satisfactory response from BSEE to the Current’s inquiry regarding the bureau’s long delayed report on the turbine blade incident?
“BSEE’s comprehensive and independent investigation is ongoing,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to the Current on Tuesday. “There is no timetable for the completion of the investigation, as BSEE focuses on ensuring that the investigation is thorough and complete.”
Is Nantucket’s settlement agreement with GE Vernova weak? What ever happened to operator responsibility?
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, energy policy, tagged Vineyard Wind, Nantucket, settlement agreement, turbine blade failure, Good Neighbor Agreement, GE Vernova, operator responsibility on July 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Nantucket reached a settlement agreement (attached) with turbine manufacturer GE Vernova (GEV), praising that company while criticizing Vineyard Wind (VW), the lessee and operator:
“The Town of Nantucket commends GE Vernova for its leadership in reaching this agreement. By contrast, the Town has found Vineyard Wind wanting in terms of its leadership, accountability, transparency, and stewardship in the aftermath of the blade failure and determined that it would not accept Vineyard Wind as a signatory to the settlement,” the town stated Friday morning.
Comments:
- For a relatively modest sum ($10.5 million) paid by the contractor (GEV), the agreement further limits the Town’s ability to hold Vineyard Wind, the lessee and operating company, accountable. See sections 4, 5(a), and 9 of the agreement.
- The Town’s ability to challenge the project was already compromised by their unpopular “Good Neighbor Agreement.”
- What ever happened to operator responsibility? This fundamental tenet of the OCS oil and gas program also applies to offshore wind. Vineyard Wind should be the party that is fully accountable for the damages associated with their project. VW can seek compensation from GEV, but VW is the accountable party.
- Can you imagine if BP had attempted to stay on the sidelines while Transocean and other contractors settled claims associated with the Macondo blowout? Unthinkable!
- Nantucket should have insisted on VW’s participation, rather than excluding them.
- Do we need an Offshore Wind Liability Trust Fund, ala the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund?
- What does the lessor, the Federal govt, have to say about damage compensation? Are civil penalties forthcoming? When will we finally see the BSEE investigation report!
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 