When a turbine blade plunged into the ocean south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, last month, it halted work on the country’s first major offshore wind project and cast a spotlight on the project’s struggling turbine supplier.
The Vineyard Wind accident was the latest setback for GE Vernova’s wind division, which emerged from the shadow of General Electric as an independent company this year. The turbine maker had hoped to turn the page on a difficult 2023, which had seen GE report a $1.1 billion loss associated with its offshore wind business.
But 2024 has created new problems for GE Vernova. Its decision to pull the plug on a new 18-megawatt turbine earlier this year sent shockwaves through the industry, leading to the cancellation of three offshore wind contracts in New York. Now, the company could be on the hook for the cleanup and construction delays stemming from the blade accident.
GE Vernova blamed a “manufacturing deviation” at a Canadian plant for the 351-foot blade detaching from a turbine, plunging into the ocean and creating a plume of debris. Insulation and shards of fiberglass have washed up on beaches on Nantucket, prompting an uproar from residents there.
