On July 17, 2024, the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) issued a suspension order to halt construction at the Vineyard Wind farm. [1] After a Vineyard Wind turbine blade suffered damage and scattered fiberglass debris in the ocean, the BSEE was forced to shut down operations for the foreseeable future. GE Vernova, the turbine and blade manufacturer and installer, was held responsible for determining the root cause of the incident. A GE Vernova spokesperson states that the initial investigation brings light to the issue of “insufficient bonding,” which the “quality assurance program should have identified,” but thus far, “there is no indication of an engineering design flaw in the blade.”

In a 10-Q filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, GE Vernova stated that the company does not have any indication of when the BSEE will lift the suspension order. Furthermore, it is unclear to them what impact the event or any potential claims would have on their financial position and cash flows. The BSEE’s official statement regarding the incident mandates that “The Suspension Order suspends power production on the lease area and suspends installation of new wind turbine generator construction” and that “Those operations will remain shut down until the suspension is lifted.” Until the Vineyard Wind can determine whether the blade failure affects any other turbines, all production will cease.

[1] https://www.bsee.gov/newsroom/latest-news/statements-and-releases/press-releases/bsee-statement-on-vineyard-wind