GE Vernova pays out millions over Vineyard blade break

Almost exactly a year after a blade broke from one of its spinning turbines off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, GE Vernova has settled up with the town for $10.5m in damages.

The turbine OEM’s 13MW Haliade-X machines are being deployed for the 800MW Vineyard Wind project.

The collapse required extensive clean up and construction at the wind farm some 15 miles (24 km) off Nantucket was halted for months while GE Vernova and federal regulators investigated.

The failure was attributed to a manufacturing deviation at the OEM’s Canadian plant, prompting removal of multiple blades produced by the same factory and adding to delays.

The Town of Nantucket “commends GE Vernova for its leadership in reaching this agreement,” the local government said in a statement.

Under the agreement, Nantucket will set up a Community Claims Fund to provide compensation to local businesses and individuals for economic harm caused by the blade failure. The fund will be administered by a third-party monitor that will evaluate claims and provide payments.

“Vineyard Wind appreciates the good faith, respectful, and productive approach demonstrated by GE Vernova and the Town of Nantucket, which was critical toward reaching this fair and conclusive settlement,” Gilvarg added.

Vineyard is owned by a joint venture of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Iberdrola-owned Avangrid.

Both companies are active players in US renewables.

Vineyard is the first US offshore wind project to be fully permitted and enter construction but has seen its schedule largely derailed by the incident.

The project has also attracted local opposition and multiple lawsuits, all of which it has beaten in federal court.

“Offshore wind may bring benefits, but it also carries risks — to ocean health, to historic landscapes, and to the economies of coastal communities like Nantucket,” said Nantucket select Board member Brooke Mohr.

Local activist group ACK for Whales has resumed litigation against the project despite its previous lawsuit dying after being rejected by the Supreme Court.

The group and others hope President Donald Trump’s disdain for renewables and offshore wind in particular will lead to a stop to the project.

GE Vernova will eventually install 64 turbines at the site. The OEM has stated it expects to complete installation by the end of this year, but recently signed an extension to its contract at marshalling port New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, indicating it may extend into 2026.