AmericasOffshoreRenewables GE Vernova mulls cutting 900 offshore wind jobs
GE Vernova Plans to Cut Offshore Wind Jobs Amid Rising Costs and Turbine Failures
GE Vernova to Reduce Offshore Wind Business and Cut Jobs Globally
GE Vernova, a major energy equipment company, is planning to make its offshore wind business smaller. This could lead to cutting more than half of the jobs in this sector around the world. The main reason for this decision is rising costs and problems with the supply chain, which have been troubling many companies over the past year.
The company hopes this plan will help turn its offshore wind division into a “smaller, leaner, and more profitable business” within the larger company. About 900 jobs could be lost, and the money saved will go toward improving existing projects, including focusing on quality control. However, GE Vernova has not yet said where these job cuts will happen.
At present, GE Vernova employs about 1,700 people in the offshore wind sector, including workers at its factories in Saint-Nazaire and Cherbourg, France.
Financial Struggles and Project Backlogs
CEO Scott Strazik mentioned that the wind division of GE Vernova is expected to lose around $300 million this quarter. This is because the company is working on a backlog of orders worth $3 billion. Despite the job cuts, the company has assured that it will continue to support its ongoing projects and invest resources to make sure they are completed successfully.
Turbine Failures Add to Problems
On top of the financial and supply chain issues, GE Vernova has faced other challenges with its offshore wind projects. Recently, two of the company’s turbines failed at two different offshore wind farms just a little over a month apart.
The first failure occurred on July 13 at Vineyard Wind, which is located southwest of Nantucket. One of the turbine blades was damaged, and pieces of fiberglass and foam were scattered across the nearby beaches and into the water. The cleanup required more than six truckloads to remove the debris.
Shortly after, in late August, another turbine blade failed at the Dogger Bank A offshore wind farm, which is still under construction. This was the second blade failure at this wind farm. Both turbines that failed used GE Vernova’s Haliade-X model.
Conclusion
GE Vernova is trying to navigate tough challenges in its offshore wind business by making cuts and reorganizing its resources. However, the company is committed to improving its current projects, even as it deals with turbine failures and financial losses. The future of GE Vernova’s offshore wind business may look different, but the company aims to come out stronger and more profitable..
