Offshore wind project in Nantucket causes a stir

• Vineyard Wind is accused of a lack of communication with Nantucket
• The company has two weeks to respond to the demands
• The government is ready for legal action in case of non-compliance with the demands

Officials of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts have accused the developer of the first offshore wind project in the USA of a lack of communication with them since Donald Trump's election. They assert that Vineyard Wind is not responding to requests regarding safety since one of their large wind turbines broke down, and its blades fell into the ocean.

The Nantucket selection board gave Vineyard Wind two weeks to respond to the requests on the permit regarding the extraordinary situation. For violations, fines of up to $250,000 may be imposed, although it is unclear how such a policy will be enforced.

Board member Brooke Moor indicated that skepticism towards Trump administration’s offshore wind projects may be the reason for the lack of connection with Vineyard Wind. Nantucket officials assert that the company is not responding to private requests regarding changes in its protocols, and if demands are not met, possible legal actions may arise.

Vineyard Wind did not provide comments to the Associated Press. The project, located approximately 14 miles (23 kilometers) off Martha's Vineyard, was approved by the Biden administration in May 2021, which was considered an important step in the president's plans to increase the US's reliance on offshore wind energy by 2030.

Blades of the wind turbine began to appear on the beaches of Nantucket during the peak of the tourist season, after parts of the blades fell into the Atlantic Ocean in June. The company GE Vernova, which agreed to pay $10.5 million under a compensation agreement for damages on the island, claims this occurred due to a manufacturing problem at one of its factories in Canada.

In recent days, Biden's administration federal regulators have announced a hold on the project, pending the removal of all installed blades, manufactured by GE Vernova. Nantucket officials also accused Vineyard Wind of violating a contract, signed five years ago, which requires the company to regularly communicate with the town at all stages of the project's development.

Tags: USA/Energy