By HOLLY RAMER
A Massachusetts judge on Friday temporarily blocked a turbine manufacturer from pulling out of a major offshore wind farm project, saying it would be “fanciful” to imagine a new contractor could finish the installation.
Vineyard Wind went to court last week after GE Renewables said it would be terminating its contracts for turbine services and maintenance. GE Vernova, the parent company for GE Renewables, argued that Vineyard Wind owes it $300 million for work it performed, but Vineyard Wind countered that the manufacturer remains on the hook for about $545 million to make up for a catastrophic turbine blade collapse in July 2024 that set the project back by two years.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp on Friday granted Vineyard Wind’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking the termination notice. He agreed with Vineyard Wind that the manufacturer owes far more money than what the developer has withheld to offset the cost of the blade collapse, which resulted in fiberglass fragments washing onto Nantucket beaches during the peak of tourist season.
“The project is at a critical phase and the loss of (Vineyard Wind)’s principal contractor would set the project back immeasurably,” the judge wrote. “To pretend that (Vineyard Wind) could go out and hire one or more contractors to finish the installation and troubleshoot and modify (GE Renewables’) proprietary design without (GE Renewables’) specialized knowledge is fanciful.”
“We are pleased with the decision, which ensures Vineyard Wind can continue delivering much needed energy to Massachusetts customers and the New England grid,” said Vineyard Wind spokesperson Craig Gilvarg.
In court filings, GE Renewables argued that it was acting within its right to terminate the contracts, that its services are no longer required and that any harm suffered by Vineyard Wind was self-inflicted.
“We stand by our compliance with contractual obligations and our performance, including recently completing installation of all 62 wind turbines at the Vineyard Wind Farm,” the company said in a statement Friday. “We remain engaged in supporting the safe operation of the project while we evaluate next steps.”
Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. It has 62 turbines that will generate a total of 800 megawatts. That is enough clean electricity to power about 400,000 homes.
Construction finished in March, making it the first project to reach this stage during President Donald Trump’s time in office. It had already been providing power to the grid for over a year as more turbines were finished. It is expected to reach full operations in the coming months.
The Trump administration has been particularly critical of the project because of the blade failure, which GE Vernova blamed on insufficient bonding at one of its factories in Canada rather than a design flaw.
It was one of five major East Coast offshore wind projects the Trump administration halted construction on days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states sued, and federal judges allowed all five to resume construction, essentially concluding that the government did not show that the national security risk was so imminent that construction must halt.
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