GE and Deepwater mark progress on first-ever U.S. offshore wind farm

GE says it is continuing to make progress with the assembly of the first tower parts to be used at the Block Island Wind Farm. This project will use five 6-MW GE “Haliade” turbines to generate 30 MW of power at America’s first offshore wind farm. That’s enough to produce around 125,000 MWh of electricity, thereby meeting approximately 90% of Block Island’s electricity demand.

The Haliade turbines, to be located roughly three miles off the coast of Block Island, are some of the largest wind turbines in the world. Each turbine measures 170 m (560 ft.) in height, which is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, and has a diameter of 150 m (490 ft.), which is double the size of a 747 Jumbo jet wingspan.

This project continues to achieve important milestones with progress on the first section of the towers in ProvPort, Providence, R.I., and the assembly of the first direct-drive, permanent-magnet generator in the nacelle assembly line in Saint-Nazaire. The remaining components of the turbines (towers, other sections, blades, and nacelles) will be shipped from Europe and assembled on site, for commercial operation for the last quarter of 2016.

Block Island Wind Farm is GE’s first offshore wind project since the acquisition of Alstom Power & Grid, and the creation of the new GE Renewable Energy business. The project demonstrates the capabilities of the new business by bringing together large-scale project capability with state of the art wind technology, and a global supply chain.

“We’re proud to partner with one of the world’s most innovative companies as we launch a new American renewable energy industry,” said Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind. “Together, we’re putting hundreds of local workers to work on this important project, giving them the experience they need to help grow this industry.”

Jérôme Pécresse, CEO of GE Renewable Energy, said: “Deepwater’s Block Island project, being the first offshore farm in the U.S., is a critical stepping stone to tapping the vast offshore resources in the country. At GE, we believe our mission is to make renewable power affordable, accessible, and reliable, to support the energy transition around the world. We’re proud to be part of the Block Island Wind Farm project, strengthening our long-standing partnership with DE Shaw, and supporting Deepwater Wind, one of the industry’s leading offshore wind developers.”

GE Renewable Energy
https://renewables.gepower.com