GE Renewable Energy Unveils 12 Megawatt Haliade-X Offshore Wind Nacelle
GE Renewable Energy on Monday unveiled the first-ever nacelle for its mammoth 12 megawatt (MW) Haliade-X offshore wind turbine at an event held at the company’s production site in Saint-Nazaire, France.
While we have already seen towers and blades unveiled for the Halide-X turbine — as they are shipped to the Port of Rotterdam, at Maasvlakte-Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, where the first prototype Halide-X will be built onshore for testing — this is the first time the specific components for the 12 MW turbine have been unveiled. GE Renewable Energy thus hopes that it remains on track to bring the Halide-X to market in 2021.
The first-ever nacelle will now be shipped from Saint-Nazaire to Rotterdam-Maasvlakte in the Netherlands where it will join the rest of the components for assembly. The prototype is being installed onshore at the Port of Rotterdam to facilitate ease of access for testing.
Importantly, the Saint-Nazaire production facility is also currently assembling a second nacelle, which will be delivered to the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult site at Blyth for testing, after an agreement was signed and announced in late June.
The Haliade-X was first announced back in March 2018, with dimensions measuring in at 260 meters in height and boasting a 220-meter rotor capable of generating enough clean electricity for 16,000 households. Blades for the turbine will measure in at 107 meters long, and help the turbine generate 67 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in gross annual energy.
“Today’s presentation of the first ever Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle at Saint-Nazaire is the start of a key new phase in our ongoing commitment to structuring the offshore wind turbine segment,” crowed Jérôme Pécresse, GE Renewable Energy CEO. “This project clearly reflects our ability to invest and innovate, supporting our customers on an ultra-competitive market in exponential growth. Thanks to the Haliade-X 12 MW, we are proud to prepare for the future of the offshore wind industry from Saint-Nazaire, a benchmark production site for offshore wind international projects.”
“We are on track to start commercializing this new product very shortly,” added John Lavelle, GE Renewable Energy Offshore Wind CEO. “Once we have received the type certificate (2020), we will be ready to start mass production and send out the first commercial units by mid-2021. Haliade-X 12MW is an outstanding and strategic project for GE. We aim to meet the requirements of our customers by providing a more affordable and competitive energy source.”
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