The developer of a Massachusetts offshore wind farm is suing to keep the turbine maker from going away

The developer of a major Massachusetts offshore wind farm is suing its turbine maker, seeking to force it to stay on the project.

Vineyard Wind filed a lawsuit against GE Renewables in Massachusetts on Wednesday. It comes after the parent company for GE Renewables said it would end its contract for turbine service and maintenance at the end of April.

GE Vernova says it owes Vineyard Wind $300 million for work it did. But Vineyard Wind counters that the manufacturer is on the hook for $545 million in July 2024 for the catastrophic turbine blade collapse and delays caused by it.

A blade of fiberglass broke into pieces and washed up on Nantucket beaches in July 2024 during the peak of the tourist season. GE Vernova agreed to pay $10.5 million in a settlement to compensate island businesses that suffered losses.

The lawsuit says the project has already been significantly damaged by GE Renewable’s “unforgivably poor performance” and allowing the contractor to withdraw now would cause irreparable harm. Vineyard Wind spokesman Craig Gilvarg said Friday that the lawsuit is to ensure GE Renewables fulfills its obligations for the project “and the people of Massachusetts and New England who depend on the significant power and economic benefits this project already provides.” He said, Vineyard Wind is expected to deliver $3.7 billion in savings to electric customers over the life of the project.

GE Vernova said the company is exercising its right to terminate contracts for non-payment for work performed.

“The company is committed to the safety of the wind farm and stands by our performance and our contractual obligations,” the company said in a statement. “We will vigorously defend our position through the appropriate legal process.”

Construction on Vineyard Wind was completed in March, the first project to reach this stage under President Donald Trump. After the completion of the additional turbine, it had been providing electricity to the grid for more than a year. It is expected to be fully operational in the coming months.

According to the lawsuit, GE Renewables is the only company capable of doing the remaining work, and finding another turbine supplier willing to take its place would be virtually impossible. The hearing will be held on Thursday.

GE Vernova said that inadequate bonding at one of its factories in Canada was responsible for the blades coming apart and that there was no indication of a design flaw. At that time, 68 of the 72 blades installed on Vineyard Wind were removed and replaced. Vineyard Wind said the project has been delayed by about two years.

The Trump administration has been particularly critical of the project because of the blade failure.

It is one of five major East Coast offshore wind projects that the Trump administration halted construction on just days before Christmas, citing national security concerns. Developers and states sued, and federal judges allowed construction to resume on all five, essentially concluding that the government’s national security risk was so imminent that construction must stop.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, located 15 miles (24 km) south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. It has 62 turbines that will produce a total of 800 MW. That’s enough clean electricity to power nearly 400,000 homes.

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