The direction comes from a revised Constructions and Operations Plan (COP) issued by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), following on from a July blade failure at the site off the coast of Massachusetts.
The plan allows Vineyard Wind to resume blade installation.
Vineyard Wind must also convince BSEE that Cherbourg, France-manufactured blades currently installed on two turbines meet original design criteria.
BSEE is allowing currently installed blades from Cherbourg to remain in place if Vineyard Wind can demonstrate that existing anomalies "will not impact the structural integrity of the blade for the expected lifetime of the blade", that the difficulty of repairing the anomaly will cause more damage than the anomaly itself, and that an inspection plan is in place to monitor the anomaly.
If Vineyard Wind cannot demonstrate the blades meet the original criteria, they must also be removed, the new plan states.
Vineyard Wind will also be required to submit evidence to regulators that blades meet certain criteria before being installed, as well as reports to BSEE after the installation of new blades.
The report must include information about repairs, the results of ultrasound testing, visual examination, and engineering analysis.
The developer must also submit inspection reports for blades, as well as any turbines that have had blades removed, to an approved Certified Verification Agent (CVA).
The CVA will also have to witness manufacturing for all newly manufactured blades at GE Vernova's facility in Cherbourg.
The new COP reads: "The CVA must align with BSEE on what processes the CVA must witness, including but not limited to application of adhesive and blade closure."
The CVA will subsequently submit a report to BSEE.
A Vineyard Wind spokesperson told reNEWS: "Following months of extensive work and collaboration with the federal interagency, GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind developed a detailed and rigorous approach to safely resume the construction and operation of the project.
"Friday's action cements this plan as a modification to the COP, which strengthens the project’s construction program, ensuring that this rigorous approach will guide all project activities in perpetuity."
