Vineyard Offshore owes $1 million in rent, landlord says in suit

One of Vineyard Wind’s parent companies allegedly owes nearly $1.2 million to its Boston landlord over unpaid rent, according to a lawsuit filed against the offshore wind company last week. 

It marks the second financial dispute tied to the wind project in recent months that has spilled into public view. Vineyard Wind is currently suing its turbine supplier, GE Vernova, over hundreds of millions of dollars it argues it is owed. 

BP Hancock LLC alleges Vineyard Offshore, which developed Vineyard Wind in partnership with Avangrid, has been in default for several months on its nearly $200,000 monthly rent.

Vineyard Offshore’s Boston lease at 200 Clarendon St., formerly known as the John Hancock Tower, is set to expire in 2030, per the complaint. The lease for all 28,000 square feet of the 18th floor started in March 2023.

The wind company allegedly hasn’t paid rent since this March, BP Hancock says, which is just before Vineyard Wind completed its offshore installation.

The landlord said it used the $368,000 security deposit to fill in for missed rent, but the deposit has been exhausted and late fees are now accruing. It has asked a judge in Suffolk Superior Court to declare Vineyard Offshore is in default, and order the company to pay the rent, replenish the security deposit and pay for damages associated with attorneys fees and other costs.

Vineyard Offshore has three additional offshore lease areas — two on the East Coast (south of Massachusetts and New York, respectively), and one off of California — that are at least several years out from possible installation. 

One of them, Vineyard Wind 2, is in limbo after Connecticut declined to join Massachusetts in purchasing some of the project’s power. It also needs several permits from the Trump administration, which has stopped issuing wind-project approvals. Meanwhile, the California project plans to use floating turbines — a technology that requires more research and development. 

The company website lists office locations in Boston; New Bedford; Long Island, New York; and Eureka, California. But Vineyard Offshore has eliminated dozens of positions since President Donald Trump assumed office last January, according to two former employees who spoke with The Light. 

Permitting of offshore wind projects has essentially frozen during the Trump administration, and the only projects seemingly making any progress are those already under construction offshore. 

Neither BXP (BP Hancock’s parent company) nor Vineyard Offshore responded to requests for comment Monday. The Light got a bounceback email when contacting Vineyard Offshore’s recent spokesperson. A LinkedIn post confirmed her position was eliminated a few months ago. 

Federal actions have financially hurt wind developers and their projects.

In the case of Vineyard Wind, the project was incurring costs of $2 million per day during its suspension this winter. The pause lasted just shy of one month. 

Beyond Trump, the project has faced financial challenges as a result of the 2024 blade break and the replacement of dozens of blades. It delayed project completion by more than one year.  

Vineyard Wind installed its final turbine south of Martha’s Vineyard in March. It activated its power purchase agreements with electrical utilities in April. 

Our offshore wind tracker: What’s new with wind projects off Massachusetts and beyond?

Offshore wind is changing fast. Here’s our tracker, first published in April 2025, and the latest on where the Northeast’s wind projects stand as of June 9, 2026.

But as of last month, Vineyard Wind was only sending partial power, with the project saying GE Vernova has outstanding repair work to undertake to bring the 62-turbine wind farm up to capacity. 

GE Vernova has said it wants to exit the contract because Vineyard Wind owes it more than $300 million. Vineyard Wind, in contrast, says it is owed more than $800 million, with costs stemming from the blade break. A judge has barred GE Vernova from exiting the contract.

In New Bedford, project staff have largely cleared out of the staging site and office space with construction wrapped. A few people on Monday were working in the New Bedford office, which is owned by a quasi-state agency. Last year, Vineyard Wind extended its lease to run through the end of this month. 

For now, the “Forever First” sign still stands at the entrance.

Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.