Siemens Receives First Offshore Order For 7 MW Turbines

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Siemens has received its first order for its new 7 MW offshore wind turbines for the 330 MW Walney Extension East project in the Irish Sea.

The German multinational announced on Wednesday that it had received an order for 47 of its new 7 MW offshore wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of 154 meters. The turbines will be deployed at the Walney Extension East project currently being developed by DONG Energy in the Irish Sea, off the British west coast, and total 330 MW.

Siemens will also provide service, in conjunction with DONG Energy, for a period of five years, continuing the pair’s partnership, formed as part of a frame agreement between the two companies in 2012.

Upon completion — which is expected for some time at the beginning of 2018 — the Walney Extension East will generate the equivalent electricity enough to provide for 230,000 British homes.

“This marks the first order for the innovative Siemens 7 megawatt wind turbine,” said Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore for Siemens’ Wind Power and Renewables Division. “We introduced this upgraded version of our proven 6 MW model into the market only last March, and today we are proud to announce that DONG Energy has chosen our new flagship offshore turbine. Our 7 MW turbine will leverage the energy output of the Walney Extension East Offshore Wind Farm and contribute significantly to lowering the cost of offshore wind power.”

The Walney Extension East is located adjacent to the Walney 1 and 2 offshore wind projects, each equipped with 51 Siemens 3.6 MW wind turbines.

Siemens is one of the few wind turbine manufacturers continually looking to bigger and more efficient wind turbines. Just last month, Michael Hannibal explained how the new Siemens facility in Germany, designed to produce the 7 MW flagship turbine, will at some point switch to manufacturing a 10 MW turbine.