A Suffolk County Superior Court judge in Massachusetts has denied GE Vernova’s appeal regarding a preliminary injunction that keeps the wind turbine OEM on the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore project until its completion.
Earlier this year, Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), filed for a preliminary injunction after receiving a contract termination notice from GE Vernova, claiming the supplier was trying to exit the project at a crucial stage.
On April 17, the court granted the injunction, accepting Vineyard Wind’s argument that termination would cause irreparable harm due to GE’s technical role and proprietary technology essential to the project.
The judge ruled that the project was at a critical phase and GE’s exit would threaten financing, as completion relied on GE Vernova’s technology.
GE’s appeal argued its departure would not cause irreparable harm since the project reached its commercial operation date (COD) on April 24 under its power purchase agreements (PPAs).
GE cited the Massachusetts Governor’s April 27 announcement activating Vineyard Wind contracts, indicating the project’s completion.
The company requested arbitration, asserting that achieving COD showed the offshore wind farm’s completion and its exit would not harm the project.
However, the judge determined that this did not guarantee the project no longer needed GE to reach full operational capacity.
The legal dispute began after GE Vernova issued a termination notice under a clause allowing contract termination if amounts due were unpaid, claiming Vineyard Wind’s payment withholding triggered this right.
Court documents revealed a project engineer determined GE owes Vineyard Wind over USD 500 million (EUR 425 million) in claims, leading Vineyard Wind to withhold around USD 308 million (EUR 264 million) in payments.
The withheld payments relate to project delays caused by defects in turbine blades manufactured and installed by GE, discovered after a 2024 blade failure.
Original Story at www.offshorewind.biz