GE Haliade-X Prototype Completes Second Year in Operation

GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X offshore wind turbine prototype installed in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has been operating for two years, making it the first 10+ MW offshore wind turbine to achieve this milestone, the turbine maker said.

The prototype was first commissioned in November 2019 at 12 MW. Since then, GE Renewable Energy has uprated the prototype to 13 MW and 14 MW.

Over the past two years, the Haliade-X has received multiple certifications, including the 12 MW, 13 MW, 13.6 MW, and Typhoon certifications.

The GE Renewable Energy team has also started certification measurements on the Haliade-X 14 MW, which is the first offshore wind turbine in the world to operate at 14 MW.

One 14 MW turbine can generate up to 74 GWh of gross annual energy production, saving up to 52,000 metric tons of C02, which is the equivalent of the emissions generated by 11,000 vehicles in one year, GE Renewable Energy said. All the electricity generated by the Haliade-X prototype is purchased by Eneco, a Dutch utility company.

Jan Kjaersgaard, CEO of Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy, said: ”Over the two years, we have learned a lot from operating the prototype intensively in a windy and harsh environment. We continue to innovate and develop our Haliade-X technology, and with 5.6 GW of customer commitments so far, it is clear that we are addressing our customers’ needs, enabling them to deliver clean energy to consumers around the world.”

The Haliade-X will equip two offshore projects that have already secured financial close. The Dogger Bank A and B wind farm off the north-east coast of England, together with Dogger Bank C, is due to become the largest offshore wind farm in the world upon completion and will feature 190 Haliade-X turbines.

GE Renewable Energy will also supply 62 Haliade-X turbines for Vineyard Wind 1, the first utility-scale offshore wind installation in the US.