After months of pressure from local leaders, Nantucket has won new assurances from Vineyard Wind, striking an agreement that sets clearer rules for communication, public transparency and emergency response as the offshore wind project becomes fully operational.
The agreement was officially announced on December 11.
Town leaders first raised the issue publicly in July, when they called for more consistent and transparent information about the project’s day-to-day activities, as well as more reliable processes for handling maritime emergencies. They said the town has struggled to get quick, detailed answers and they wanted a system that would allow officials and residents to track the project’s progress.
Select committee member Brooke More, who led the island’s delegation at the talks, said the push was focused on protecting the island’s natural and economic landscape.
Many problems arose after an AW-38 turbine blade suffered a catastrophic failure in July 2024, causing large amounts of debris to fall into the ocean and wash up on the south shore of Nantucket and elsewhere in the region. Others are related to light pollution in the turbine sector.
“Transparency and predictability are critical to protecting our world-famous coastlines, fisheries, night skies and heritage tourism economy,” she said.
Nantucket is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
Vineyard Wind’s turbine aw38 is located at the southwesternmost point of the offshore wind farm, 22 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Last month, a turbine blade failed, shattering into pieces and sending debris into the sea where it washed up on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard beaches. In a statement Friday, Nantucket received new assurances from Vineyard Wind, striking an agreement that sets clearer rules for communications, public transparency and emergency response. Photo taken on August 1, 2024.
The company is building the 62-turbine, 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind 1 project in waters about 15 miles southwest of Nantucket Island as a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables LLC and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The company reported earlier this month that the project was making progress and now has more than 400 megawatts of operational capacity.
Vineyard Wind signs new deal with Nantucket Island
Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller participated in negotiations with town leaders. The talks resulted in an agreement outlining 14 specific steps that the company must now follow.
The new agreement requires Vineyard Wind to alert eight town officials within three hours whenever an incident triggers an emergency response, including blade failure. Companies must send preliminary and final emergency reports within specified deadlines, and sensitive business information can only be removed from shared reports if permitted by the Freedom of Information Act.
The town will now be included in the company’s emergency response procedures – Nantucket will have a representative observe Vineyard Winds’ annual tabletop emergency drill with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. A town representative will also join the incident management team during emergencies and the communications coordination team once Vineyard Wind is activated.
The agreement also gives island communities greater access to information about the project’s activities. According to the document, Vineyard Wind will release a summary of its new debris/infrastructure failure incident response plan for public feedback and considers it a document that can be updated at any time.
The company must also provide monthly written updates on construction and operations and track any periods when its aircraft detection lighting systems malfunction. If lighting exceeds the projections a company originally submitted to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the company must explain why and describe possible solutions.
Vineyard Wind will assign an additional liaison to provide direct access to company decision-makers. This person must answer questions from the town and residents who submit questions through the town within seven days. When an issue requires technical study, under the agreement the company must acknowledge receipt of the inquiry and give a specific deadline for a full response.
The town agreed to several parallel measures. Nantucket will help share emergency information with the public, provide support where possible, designate its own contact person and answer company questions within seven days. Island leaders will communicate open questions about the project, share last month’s communications and review any concerns raised by Vineyard Wind about accuracy.
Both sides agreed to hold a leadership meeting if either side believed the other was violating the agreement. If the issue cannot be resolved, they will engage in mediation and the town retains the option of suing for damages.
Greg Werkheiser, who advises Nantucket on offshore wind issues through Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC, said the agreement focuses on actual needs.
“This agreement is not symbolic but operational,” he said. “These are real-world measures that will meaningfully improve communities’ ability to protect their islands.”
Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg said the company views the results as a positive step.
“Vineyard Wind 1 is pleased to enter into this Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Nantucket, which is the product of respectful and collaborative discussions between the parties in recent months,” he said.
The protocols outlined in the agreement “will promote regular and transparent communication between Vineyard Wind and the Town of Nantucket, and we look forward to a long-term positive relationship with the island,” he said. Town officials expect the first monthly update under the new regulations later this month.
Heather McCarron (hmccarron@capecodonline.com) writes about climate change, the environment, energy, science and the natural world, as well as news and features from Barnstable, Brewster and Falmouth.
This article originally appeared in the Cape Cod Times: Nantucket and Vineyard Wind strengthen cooperation on offshore projects
