GE Renewable Energy announced the installation of the first GE Haliade 150-6-MW offshore wind turbine at the 396-MW Merkur Offshore Windfarm in Germany, located approximately 35 km north of the island of Borkum, in the North Sea. Installation vessel SeaFox 5 sailed from Merkur’s logistic hub in Eemshaven (Netherlands) carrying blades, towers, nacelles and other components needed to start the installation of the first set of wind turbines at sea.
Installation of the 66 GE Haliade 150-6-MW wind turbines is expected to finish around September 2018, while commissioning activities will continue until the end of the year. In the meantime, remaining nacelles, blades and tower pieces will be shipped to Eemshaven logistic hub until mid-summer 2018, where local teams will perform pre-assembly works.
“This is a very important milestone for us,” said John Lavelle, VP & CEO of GE’s Renewable Energy Offshore Wind business. “Only a year and a half ago we were supporting the installation of the first offshore wind project in U.S. (Block Island), and in a year we have completed installation in China and started installation of one of the largest offshore wind farms in Germany, making us the only offshore wind turbine supplier to have projects in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.”
GE Renewable Energy was selected in June 2015 by Merkur Offshore Company to deliver 66 GE Haliade 150-6-MW offshore wind turbines to what will become one of Germany’s largest offshore wind farms, capable to generate approximately 1,750 MWh annually, enough clean energy to power around 500,000 homes in the region. A 10-year Operation & Maintenance service is also included as part of the contract.
The offshore wind turbines have three main components – nacelles, towers, and blades- that are manufactured in different locations and shipped to Eemshaven, where they are prepared for installation at sea. Nacelles are produced in Saint-Nazaire (France), blades are made in Castellon (Spain) by LM Wind Power, and towers are manufactured in Germany and China.
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