Sources say that GE Vernova's investigation found that the offshore wind turbine plant at Quebec was not operating to standards.
Sources familiar with the situation said that GE Vernova’s offshore wind turbine production plant in Quebec has terminated or suspended several employees after a company probe found they had taken shortcuts when it came to quality control.
GE Vernova began the investigation at its factory in Gaspe in Quebec, after one of their 107 meter-long turbine blades broke at the Vineyard Wind Project off the coast Massachusetts in July. The project was temporarily stopped after shards of fiberglass were found on the beaches.
GE Vernova, through its subsidiary LM Wind Power, owns the Gaspe Plant.
A source with knowledge of the situation said that certain managers in the company were pushing workers to work faster in order to improve their performance, which led to errors.
The source stated that "there were corners cut".
According to another source, the investigation led to the termination of several Gaspe employees including supervisors.
Both sources requested anonymity when discussing the issue.
Radio-Gaspesie reported the first findings of the GE Vernova Investigation.
Jean Eric Cloutier said that the Gaspe company took the investigation seriously but did not give any details.
He claimed that nine managers and 11 unionists were dismissed.
A committee of employees has been formed to help prevent recurrences of quality issues. Cloutier stated that they were proactive and determined to not let poor management determine our fate.
GE Vernova stated that it had taken "corrective measures" at the Gaspe plant but did not elaborate.
The company stated that it was confident of its ability to implement corrective measures and move forward.
A spokesperson for LM Wind Power declined to comment.
Vineyard Wind's blade malfunction was not the first time a GE Vernova had malfunctioned.
In May, one of the turbines at the Dogger Bank A project near the UK coast fell apart. Another at the same location failed in August during high winds and waves.
GE Vernova said that the incidents were unrelated.
Vineyard Wind declined to comment on the issue. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (which is conducting a federal inquiry into the Vineyard wind turbine failure) was not available to comment immediately. Reporting by Allison Lampert, in Montreal; Nichola Groom, in Altadena California; and Stine Jacobsen, in Copenhagen. Editing by David Gregorio.
(source: Reuters)
