A Massachusetts judge has blocked GE Vernova from abandoning work on the 806MW Vineyard Wind offshore project off the US north-east coast.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Peter Krupp issued a preliminary injunction preventing a GE Vernova unit from terminating its contract and ceasing work.
Krupp wrote that the project “is at a critical phase and the loss of VW’s principal contractor would set the project back immeasurably and threaten VW’s financing”.
The dispute centres on more than $300m that GE Renewables US claims it is owed under a $1.3bn contract to design, manufacture and install wind turbine generators.
Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between Iberdrola and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, has argued it is entitled to withhold payments following a turbine blade collapse in 2024.
Krupp said the idea that Vineyard Wind “could go out and hire one or more contractors to finish and troubleshoot and modify GER’s proprietary design without GER’s specialised knowledge is fanciful.”