GE Vernova blames manufacturing deviation for Vineyard blade damage

GE Vernova Inc (NYSE:GEV) will carry out an extensive inspection across its offshore wind manufacturing operations after experiencing a material deviation at one of its factories in Canada that could have caused the recent blade damage in the US.

As previously announced, a single turbine at the 806-MW Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts was damaged and a significant part of the blade was detached from the machine, with no injuries reported.

GE Vernova’s CEO and director Scott Strazik said during an earnings call on July 24 that the wind turbine maker will reinspect all offshore wind blades that came out of the factory in Gaspe, Quebec, and explore the root cause of the deviation that “should have been identified” in the quality assurance process. While no indications of an engineering design flaw in the Haliade-X turbines have occurred, production at the site will be halted until the inspection is completed. “[..] we've made about 150 blades, so that gives you an indication and context of the work ahead,” Strazik noted.

“We are working with urgency to scrutinise our operations across Offshore Wind. Pace matters here, but we are going to be thorough instead of rushed,” the manufacturer said in its quarterly report.

Additionally, GE Vernova pointed out that the blade event reported for one its Haliade-X turbines at Dogger Bank A in the UK in May was caused by an installation error.

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