Lightning strikes Nantucket wind turbine that last summer lost a football-field long blade

The turbine damaged by the lightning strike, identified as AW-38, had a blade break off in July. A football-field size chunk of the blade fell into the ocean, and debris has been washing up on the shores of Nantucket ever since.

By Kevin Killough

Published: March 3, 2025 11:27am

Updated: March 3, 2025 12:29pm

The Vineyard Wind project in Nantucket has suffered a another setback, with the turbine that experienced blade failure this past summer having been hit last week by lightening – resulting in a fire.

The incident occurred sometime between Feb. 27 or Feb. 28, according to local newspaper the Nantucket Current, citing information from an email from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The turbine, identified as AW-38, had a blade break off in July. A football-field size chunk of the blade fell into the ocean, and debris has been washing up on the shores of Nantucket ever since.

In the email concerning the lightning strike, Coast Guard Command Duty Officer Meghan Manship, said there are no reports of debris. A Coast Guard petty officer confirmed to the Current that the turbine was struck by lightning but provided no further details.

Vineyard Wind released a statement Sunday night stating that the lightning had struck the same turbine that experienced a blade failure, and the company is using “aerial and maritime resources” to assess any damage.