A turbine in the 804MW Vineyard Wind project, a joint venture between Iberdrola and CIP, was struck by lightning on February 27, 2025, causing damage to one of its blades. Vineyard Wind confirmed the incident and outlined steps to manage the damage to the GE Vernova turbine, specifically turbine AW-38.
In a statement, Vineyard Wind said, “As part of a continuous effort to manage the damaged GE Vernova blade on turbine AW-38, a rigorous action plan has been put into place which includes debris recovery resources, recurrent flyovers to observe the turbine, and ultimately GE Vernova’s planned removal and replacement of the blade in May 2025.”
Preliminary inspections suggested the blade may have been struck by lightning. “Based on a visual inspection of the damaged blade, preliminary evidence indicates that the blade may have been impacted by a lightning strike, though we continue to assess in coordination with GE Vernova,” the company added.
The incident follows an earlier event in July 2024 when one of the turbine blades broke off. Vineyard Wind clarified that the lightning strike appeared to have been confined to the damaged blade, with no reported damage to the nacelle or turbine structure. A spokesperson noted, “The evidence of the lightning strike was contained to the damaged blade, and based on current information, there is no impact to the nacelle or turbine structure.”
The company also deployed both aerial and maritime resources to assess the situation. “Based on current observations, there is no indication of debris from this event,” Vineyard Wind said.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it was in communication with Vineyard Wind but reported that, as of March 2, there were no navigational hazards or enforcement actions related to the incident. “We remain in contact with Vineyard Wind, and as of Sunday afternoon (on 2 March), there are no reported navigational hazards or Coast Guard enforcement actions related to this incident,” the Coast Guard stated.
The town of Nantucket, the closest municipality to the Vineyard Wind project, said it was closely monitoring the potential effects of the lightning strike.
Vineyard Wind is currently working to replace the damaged blades, which were manufactured at GE’s LM Wind Power facility in Gaspe, Canada. The planned replacement is scheduled for May 2025.
