Vineyard Wind Takes GE Vernova to Court Over Offshore Wind Contract Dispute – Reports

US offshore wind developer Vineyard Wind has filed a lawsuit against GE Vernova seeking to prevent the turbine supplier from terminating its contracts and withdrawing from the Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts.

According to reports by Reuters and Associated Press (AP), the complaint was lodged in a Boston state court, with Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), arguing that GE Vernova is attempting to exit the project at a critical stage.

The dispute revolves around a turbine supply and service agreement valued at around USD 1.3 billion (approximately EUR 1.1 billion), covering the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind turbine generators for the offshore wind farm.

Located approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles) south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, the 806 MW project features 62 GE Vernova Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbines. Wind turbine installation commenced in September 2023, and Vineyard Wind 1 began delivering power to the grid in early 2024. Later that year, the project encountered a setback following a blade failure on one of its turbines.

The final of the 62 turbines was installed in March, with the wind farm currently in partial operation.

The developer is seeking a court injunction after GE Vernova notified the company that it would terminate the contract at the end of April, with Vineyard Wind seeking to make the supplier continue its work on the project.

GE Vernova cites Vineyard Wind withholding payments for completed work as grounds for terminating the contracts.

Vineyard Wind, however, argues that it was entitled to withhold about USD 308 million (approx. EUR 264 million) due to what it describes as “poor performance” by the turbine supplier, including issues linked to the turbine blade failure in 2024 that led to delays and additional costs.

The developer further claims that GE Vernova remains liable for significantly higher damages related to the incident, up to USD 545 million (approx. EUR 466 million), and that allowing the supplier to exit the project would cause “irreparable harm”, according to the AP report.

Vineyard Wind’s lawsuit also states that GE Vernova is the only viable supplier capable of completing the remaining work on the project, making replacement at this stage impractical.

In response, GE Vernova said it acted within its contractual rights and that it will defend its position through legal proceedings, adding that it has fulfilled its obligations, including completing turbine installation at the site, according to the reports.

A hearing on the preliminary injunction requested by Vineyard Wind is scheduled for 16 April.

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