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GE Vernova is still trying to get out of its contract with Vineyard Wind, arguing this week that the activation of the offshore wind farm’s power purchase agreements undermines Vineyard Wind’s claims of irreparable harm.
The turbine supplier filed an emergency motion this week, asking Judge Peter B. Krupp of the Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston to reconsider the preliminary injunction he granted to Vineyard Wind on April 17 based on new evidence: the PPAs taking effect.
Krupp declined to take up the motion during a court hearing Friday. He also declined to rule on GEV’s initial motion to compel Vineyard Wind to pursue the contract dispute through arbitration instead of litigation.
The judge asked to first hear the arguments for reconsideration before ruling on either. The next hearing will be held on May 12.
GEV argues that the activation of the project’s PPAs this week seriously belies Vineyard Wind’s irreparable harm claims, on which Krupp based his preliminary injunction. Vineyard Wind had argued in filings that GEV’s departure would existentially threaten the project.
The injunction has barred GEV from exiting its contract with the wind project, which it planned to do on April 28.
The PPA activation is a major milestone that Vineyard Wind said in filings was critical in order for the project to be financially viable. Per the PPAs, utilities are obligated to purchase energy from the project starting on its Commercial Operation Date (COD) and continuing for 20 years.
The PPAs lock in a revenue stream for Vineyard Wind, thereby allowing it to start recouping the billions it spent on buildout.
Vineyard Wind achieved commercial operation on April 24, according to its parent company, Iberdrola. During an earnings call on Wednesday, Iberdrola’s CEO said Vineyard Wind in “practical terms” is “completed.”
But Vineyard Wind’s attorney suggested in court Friday that the project is far from fully operational.
“This is an 806-megawatt project that’s generating output at less than half of that, which is not sufficient to generate commercially viable levels of electricity,” said attorney Michael Scheinkman. “GE’s work is necessary to do that.”
Earlier this week, following the contract activations, Vineyard Wind did not respond to The Light’s questions on the status of outstanding repairs and commissioning work — work that the company said necessitated GEV’s continued participation in the project.
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 April 13, 2026.
Vineyard Wind’s energy sales dropped nearly 13% in the first quarter of 2026 (January through March) compared to the last quarter of 2025 (October through December), according to recent data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Wind turbines usually generate the most power in winter, when winds are strongest. But this winter, the project still had turbines to commission and bring fully online.
Scheinkman also said GEV in its emergency filings took recent comments out of context on the stability of the project at this moment. Before going much further, he was redirected by Krupp, who declined to get into a discussion on the motion to reconsider.
The Light contacted Vineyard Wind Friday afternoon for comment on the power capacity required for Vineyard Wind to activate the PPAs. Per the contract, if the project achieves COD with a “capacity deficiency,” it may exercise a “capacity downsize option.”
The Light also contacted the state energy office Friday afternoon with questions about Vineyard Wind’s PPA activation with a less than half operational capacity.
GEV 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 catastrophic failure of a turbine blade in July 2024.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
