World’s Largest Wind Turbines Begin Generating Power At Burbo Bank Extension

The world’s largest wind turbines currently installed, Vestas’ 8 MW behemoths, have begun generating power at the 258 MW Burbo Bank Extension offshore wind farm, developed by DONG Energy.

DONG Energy, which confirmed its intentions to build the project at the end of 2014, announced on Monday that the 8 MW wind turbines have begun generating electricity for the first time at the Burbo Bank Extension Offshore Wind Farm. This is the first time the Vestas 8 MW wind turbines have been used commercially offshore, which were chosen for the wind farm and begun installation in September.

“First power is a key milestone for us because it proves that every part of the transmission and generation equipment is successfully working,” said Claus Bøjle Møller, Burbo Bank Extension Programme Director. “We’re progressing well with the construction of the wind farm thanks to a huge effort from our construction team and our contractors.

“This milestone is also significant for the offshore wind industry at a broader scale. Using these bigger turbines is a major step in reducing the cost of energy from offshore wind, and we are proud to once again introduce a step-change in technology.”

The project hasn’t been fully completed yet, but when all 32 8 MW wind turbines are installed — which is expected to be in the first quarter of 2017 — the wind farm will generate enough electricity to meet the annual demands of approximately 230,000 UK homes.