An innocuous trio of sentences released Tuesday on Vestas’ press office heralded big news for the company and their new 8 MW wind turbines, which are set to be installed for the Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm, being constructed by Danish company DONG Energy.
According to DONG Energy, the project will only move forward if the windfarm is awarded a Contract for Difference under the EMR FID-enabling regime, as well as all parties agreeing on a detailed supply agreement which is expected to be signed later this year.
The Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm already amounts to 90 MW, located off the North West coast of England. The Extension is expected to add 258 MW, and is looking to complete the extension in the second half of 2016. 32 of Vestas’ V164-8.0 MW turbines will be installed in the Irish Sea, becoming the first bulk order for the turbine since its introduction last year.
“The performance of the 8 MW turbine from Vestas is very promising,” said Samuel Leupold, Executive Vice President in DONG Energy. “I see this as a very concrete step towards reducing the cost of electricity from offshore wind. A competitive market for all components is essential to accomplishing this. I look forward to working with Vestas and the other members of our supply chain to find further reductions in the cost of electricity.”
As DONG Energy noted in their press release, they hope that the larger turbines will not only increase the competition in the multi-MW offshore turbine market, but help reduce costs of offshore wind farms by 35-40% for projects sanctioned in 2020.
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