Massachusetts Judge Peter Krupp confirms that GE Rewables (GER) can’t quit now, but must continue working on the Vineyard Wind (VW) project! As we approach the 2 year anniversary of the blade failure, this ugly legal dispute among the responsible parties is another black eye for the troubled project.
Judge Krupp: In discussing irreparable harm in the April Memorandum, I found that the project “is at a critical phase,” that GER’s termination “would set the project back immeasurably and threaten VW’s financing,” that the requirements “to bring the project into commercial viability is highly dependent on GER’s capabilities, personnel and technology,” and that “[t]o pretend that VW could go out and hire one or more contractors to finish the installation and troubleshoot and modify GER’s proprietary design without GER’s specialized knowledge is fanciful.” Nothing has been brought to my attention that would alter any of these conclusions.
Project completion declarations by VW and Gov. Healey did not reflect the reality of the project (expected grandstanding, nothing to see there 😉):
Moreover, the fact that VW declared the COD (Commercial Operation Date) – or that Gov. Healey and VW’s parent commented on it – does not change the reality on the ground. It does not change the fact that the Project requires GER’s expertise and proprietary know-how to bring the turbines up to operational capacity.
The judge’s order is attached.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 