Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova have reached a settlement that will resolve lawsuits related to the Vineyard Wind project.
The Vineyard Wind 1 project is located in federal waters 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
The companies went to court after GE Vernova, which supplied the turbines for the offshore wind farm, attempted to end its involvement in the project, claiming it was owed more than $300 million.
Vineyard Wind sued, contending that GE Vernova leaving the project before it reached full capacity would effectively kill it.
In a statement, Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova said the two sides had resolved the dispute in an “amicable settlement to resolve all outstanding litigation” and both will withdraw all legal claims.
During the court proceedings, Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp ruled that the project needs GE’s expertise and “proprietary know-how” to bring the turbines up to capacity. “And [Vineyard Wind] continues to be at risk of losing financing for the Project,” the judge wrote in June.
The dispute stemmed from the failure of a blade on one of the turbines in 2024. A shattered turbine blade littered beaches with fiberglass and forced the replacement of numerous defective blades.
Vineyard Wind withheld about $300 million from GE after an engineer determined that the turbine maker owed about $850 million in damages.
GE Renewables, which is part of global energy company GE Vernova, then sought to terminate its contracts for nonpayment.
GE argued that Vineyard Wind cannot withhold payment because the damages were being disputed.
The statement issued Sept. 16 said said the terms of the settlement agreement are confidential.
The statement announcing the settlement says Vineyard Wind’s turbines are “capable of producing power, providing reliable, affordable energy to more than 400,000 homes and businesses while bolstering grid stability across the Commonwealth.”The statement also says the project has created nearly 4,000 jobs and $1.94 billion in total economic output to date and that it will cut carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons annually—the equivalent of removing 325,000 cars from the road.
