Nantucket delivered a blistering rebuke to Vineyard Wind on Tuesday, accusing the offshore wind developer of a pattern of deception, negligence, and disregard for the island community it promised to protect.
At a press conference, town officials outlined 15 sweeping accountability demands after what they called Vineyard Wind’s “empty pledges and unfulfilled commitments.” Officials said the company has failed on every major front — from basic safety measures to transparent communication — leaving the island vulnerable and eroding public trust.
“Vineyard Wind has left Nantucket, its residents, and its visitors with empty pledges and unfulfilled commitments. We are done waiting for them to do the right thing,” said Select Board member and former chair Brooke Mohr. “We call on Vineyard Wind’s owners, investors, federal regulators, and our elected leaders to stand with us in holding the company to its word.”
The scathing list of failures includes the company’s refusal to communicate critical safety information, its inability to activate light pollution controls in a timely manner, and its failure to create any meaningful emergency response plans despite last year’s high-profile turbine blade failure.
Nantucket’s Select Board intentionally excluded Vineyard Wind from its recent settlement with GE Vernova, citing the company’s “lack of leadership, transparency, and stewardship.” Officials said the move was meant to send a clear signal: Vineyard Wind has “completely failed the community it pledged to serve.”
Nantucket’s 15 Accountability Demands of Vineyard Wind:
1. Text emergency notifications to town officials within one hour of any incident.
2. Alert officials immediately when turbine blade monitors detect anomalies.
3. Share all federal agency communications regarding project failures impacting Nantucket.
4. Email detailed monthly project updates to the Select Board and Town Manager.
5. Present updates and take public questions at Select Board meetings at least quarterly.
6. Respond to written questions from the Select Board within three business days.
7. Provide relevant project reports to the town within one week of submission to any agency.
8. Share all adverse effect studies and data within five business days of receipt.
9. Disclose all correspondence with regulatory agencies within 15 business days.
10. Notify the town if confidentiality claims are used to shield reports or data.
11. Pay $250,000 per violation of communication protocols.
12. Pay $25,000 per turbine per day for every day turbine lights remain on without the Aircraft Detection and Lighting System (ADLS) active.
13. Begin public emergency planning within two months, including blade failure scenarios.
14. Establish and maintain a $10 million escrow fund to cover cleanup costs from future failures.
15. Permanently suspend new projects if any incident forces beach closures or shellfish harvesting bans for seven consecutive days or 14 total days in six months.
Greg Werkheiser, counsel to the town, did not mince words: “Corporations must do what they say and honor the agreements they sign. Vineyard Wind claims it wants to be a good neighbor. It erodes public trust with every broken promise.”
Vineyard Wind, jointly owned by Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners in partnership with Iberdrola of Spain, has faced growing criticism since the 2023 turbine blade failure. Town leaders said the company’s refusal to provide timely information and its repeated delays prove it cannot be trusted to safeguard Nantucket’s residents, environment, or economy.
Officials also called on federal regulators at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to stop “looking the other way” and force Vineyard Wind to live up to its obligations.
Nantucket leaders warned that unless Vineyard Wind complies with every demand, the town is prepared to pursue aggressive legal and regulatory action to “hold the company accountable for every broken promise.”
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