Federal Government Lifts Vineyard Wind Suspension, Requires Blade Removal

The federal government has lifted the suspension on the Vineyard Wind project, allowing construction to resume after a catastrophic blade failure last July. Under the revised construction and operations plan, all blades manufactured at GE Vernova's plant in Gaspé, Canada, which had insufficient bonding leading to the failure, must be removed from 22 turbines already installed. This accounts for over a third of the planned 62 turbines for the offshore wind farm. The lifting of the suspension comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, with Trump previously indicating plans to halt offshore wind projects. Regulatory authorities are mandating further studies to evaluate environmental damage caused by the blade failure. Vineyard Wind aims to replace the faulty blades with new ones sourced from a different facility, as construction activity continues in 2025.