Vineyard Wind has filed a lawsuit against GE Vernova in a Boston state court to stop the turbine supplier from ending its contracts and leaving the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project off Massachusetts.
The dispute involves a turbine supply and service agreement worth about $1.3 billion. The contract covers the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind turbine generators for the offshore wind farm.
Vineyard Wind 1 is located about 24 km south of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The 806 MW project uses 62 GE Vernova Haliade-X 13 MW turbines. Turbine installation started in September 2023, and the project began supplying electricity to the grid in early 2024. Later in 2024, the wind farm suffered a blade failure on one turbine. The last of the 62 turbines was installed in March, and the project is now operating partially.
According to the lawsuit, GE Vernova told the developer it would terminate the contracts at the end of April. Vineyard Wind is seeking an injunction to require the supplier to continue working on the project.
GE Vernova says Vineyard Wind withheld payment for completed work and that this gives the company grounds to terminate the contracts. Vineyard Wind argues it was entitled to withhold about $308 million because of what it described as poor performance by the turbine supplier, including issues related to the turbines.
The developer also claims GE Vernova remains liable for higher damages linked to the blade incident, with the amount reaching up to $545 million. In the lawsuit, Vineyard Wind says the supplier is the only practical company able to complete the remaining work, making a replacement unrealistic at this stage.
For its part, GE Vernova says it acted within its contractual rights and will defend its position in court. The company also says it has met its obligations, including completing turbine installation at the site.
A hearing on the preliminary injunction requested by Vineyard Wind is scheduled for 16 April.
