The Westermost Rough offshore wind park was inaugurated on Wednesday, bringing into operation the first commercial offshore project based on the Siemens 6 MW turbines.
The 210 MW Westermost Rough offshore wind park is located approximately 8 kilometers off the east coast of Britain in the North Sea, and is the first development to make use of the 6 MW turbines on a commercial and large-scale project. The project will now be able to generate electricity for around 150,000 British households annually.
“Westermost Rough achieving full power output is a hugely significant moment for the project,” said Duncan Clark, Programme Director for Westermost Rough at DONG Energy, the developers of the project. “This is the first offshore wind farm in the world to use the Siemens 6MW turbines, which is an important step in reducing the cost of energy from offshore wind.”
The first of the 6 MW behemoth’s was installed in August of last year. The SWT-6.0-154 turbine has a 154-metre rotor, and at the time of announcement was the world’s longest blades in operation — a feat sure to be eclipsed as the technology continues to improve.
“This is the first time Siemens has installed the 6 MW direct drive turbine with a 154 meter diameter rotor on a commercial-scale project,” said Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore at the Siemens Wind and Renewables Division. “The Westermost Rough project reinforces our wide-ranging experience in offshore wind and is leading the way to bring the costs of offshore wind energy down.”
Siemens will remain responsible for all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the turbines for a period of 5 years.
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