GE Vernova will remove some turbine blades installed at the Vineyard Wind offshore wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts following quality checks prompted by the failure of a blade in July, the company said on Wednesday.
Progress on the still-unfinished project is being closely watched since it was barred from producing power or completing construction after a turbine blade broke and sent debris into the water that washed up on nearby beaches during the peak summer tourist season.
The blade saga has been a blow to the nation's budding offshore wind industry, which is regarded as critical to meeting U.S. President Joe Biden's climate change goals.
The turbine maker blamed a manufacturing flaw for the accidentat the nation's first major offshore wind farm and has spent months inspecting blades with ultrasound images and drones.
"Out of an abundance of caution, GE Vernova intends to remove some blades from the Vineyard Wind farm while strengthening other blades as needed to support the safety and operational readiness of this project," GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind said in a joint statement.
The companies also said they were granted approval this week by federal safety authorities to resume installation of new blades at the project once certain safety and operational conditions are met. They did not give a timeline for when they expect those conditions to be met.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed that it would allow certain construction activities on a case-by-case basis.
The agency is still investigating the incident, and said Vineyard Wind is required to provide a root cause analysis as soon as it is available.
"There is no timetable for the completion of the investigation, as BSEE focuses on ensuring that the investigation is thorough and complete," a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. Avangrid is a unit of Spain's Iberdrola.
(Reuters - Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Richard Chang)