Aug 13 (Reuters) - Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova ( GEV )

on Tuesday said they have begun controlled removal of portions

of a damaged blade of an AW-38 wind turbine to reduce the risk

of additional debris falling into the ocean.

In July, the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project off the

coast of Massachusetts was shut down by federal authorities

after a turbine blade failure that caused pieces of fiberglass

to fall into the water.

Cutting operations on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12 have removed a

substantial amount of the remaining portions of the damaged

blade, Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova ( GEV ) which is the turbine's

manufacturer, said in a statement.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has

issued an updated suspension order that enables Vineyard Wind to

resume limited additional activities, including the installation

of towers and nacelles, it said.

The updated suspension order still does not allow further

blade installation or power production at this time.

"Our primary focus continues to be removing the parts of the

blade that pose any risk of contributing further debris into the

ocean," said GE Vernova ( GEV ) chief sustainability officer Roger

Martella.

Vineyard Wind, owned by Denmark's Copenhagen Infrastructure

Partners and Avangrid ( AGR ), is located 15 miles south of the

island of Nantucket.

Upon completion, Vineyard Wind is projected to produce

enough electricity to power around 400,000 homes and businesses

in Massachusetts.