Vattenfall and GE to Form Haliade-X 12MW Alliance

Vattenfall and GE Renewable Energy plan to join forces in the deployment of GE’s new wind turbine, the Haliade-X 12 MW, in Europe.

With a capacity of 12MW, the Haliade-X is the largest offshore wind turbine on the market to date. Development and production of the new 12MW turbine will mostly take place in France.

“As a leader of the wind industry, we are constantly striving for top notch technology. The cooperation with GE Renewable Energy enables us to remain one step ahead in wind turbine technology developments. The size and performance of Haliade-X 12MW will support us to further improve the competitiveness of offshore wind energy production. Due to a lower number of turbines needed for future windfarms, there is also a positive impact on the environmental footprint,” said Gunnar Groebler, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Wind.

This cooperation is the result of 12 months of exchanges during which Vattenfall conducted an in-depth technical due diligence and both companies jointly worked on the customization of the platform. The final details of the cooperation will be defined by summer and the organizations will deep dive on specific projects within Vattenfall offshore wind pipeline in the fall, the Swedish energy company said.

The Haliade-X 12 MW turbine features a 220-meter rotor, and a 107-meter blade the longest ever manufactured. With the largest capacity factor in the industry, one Haliade-X turbine can generate 67 GWh annually.

The nacelles for the turbine will be assembled in GE factory in Saint Nazaire and the blades will be manufactured in LM Wind Power factory in Cherbourg.

GE Renewable Energy plans to install the Haliade-X prototype in Rotterdam this summer and to ship the first commercial units in 2021.