July 19 Update - Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Crisis

Debris Collection and Path Modelling

Vineyard Wind crews will continue their debris collection efforts across south shore beaches today, along with Jetties Beach and other north side areas in advance of Saturday's Triathlon. This morning, crews were dispatched to Nobadeer after reports of some debris found at the beach.

Crews are also collecting debris from harder to reach areas like Tuckernuck and from the water via offshore vessels. The components of the debris observed to be floating offshore are a mix of foam and fiberglass pieces of varying sizes. Vessels crews will continue efforts to collect debris offshore to lessen the amount of debris landing on Nantucket beaches.

Vineyard Wind is utilizing two models to predict the path of debris travel: one from the U.S. Coast Guard and the other from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We expect the modeling to be updated daily for as long as necessary.

With today's winds from the north, we are advised by Vineyard Wind that most of the debris appears to be staying south of the island.

Clean-up Efforts

No Town staff are engaged in any clean-up activities. A few staff members are acting in advisory roles in specialty areas such as shorebird management. As of yesterday, Vineyard Wind and its contractors had 56 people deployed in beach clean-up efforts. We are assured they will remain on-island as long as necessary.

REMINDER TO THE PUBLIC

• DO NOT put any debris in your home garbage.
• DO NOT bring the debris to the landfill.
• DO notify the proper authorities immediately if you have debris so they can remove it for analysis and proper disposal.

Only trained employees or contractors are responsible for collecting and removing the debris.

To report any remaining debris, please contact:

• Phone: 833-609-5768
• Reports of debris can also be sent to the cleanup contractor here.

Water Quality

Vineyard Wind has announced that it is developing a plan to test water quality around the island. This complex undertaking involves engaging experts to determine the best path forward. To conduct the testing, specific information from GE's Safety Data Sheets is required, which is expected to be delivered to Vineyard Wind today.

The Blade

Approximately half of the fiberglass shell of the blade remains attached, while most of the foam fill dislodged during the initial failure last Saturday. Monitoring of the remaining attached piece is ongoing, and a plan is being developed for its removal. The large piece of fiberglass noted in yesterday's update has sunk to the ocean floor and will be recovered in due course.

Safety Measures

Vineyard Wind is not managing this incident in isolation. As of Monday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the lead federal regulator for the safe and environmentally responsible production of offshore renewable energy, has been onsite in New Bedford monitoring Vineyard Wind's plans and actions.

Economic Damages

Vineyard Winds is working on setting up a process for financial claims. We will share this information as soon as it is available to us.

The impacts of this event will continue to unfold in the coming days and weeks. Town Administration and the Select Board are committed to providing daily morning briefings to the Nantucket public regarding this matter. Vineyard Wind is fully responsible for the repercussions on Nantucket, and Town Administration and the Select Board will ensure they are held accountable.

The Town of Nantucket reminds everyone that safety is a top priority.