Ribbon Cut at First 8-Megawatt Turbine Windfarm

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Commissioning has taken place at the Burbo Bank Extension windfarm off the coast of Liverpool in the U.K., the first windfarm to the use the largest wind turbines in the world.

Rated at 8 megawatts (MW) each, the 32 V164 8.0 MW turbines from MHI Vestas Wind Systems A/S (OMX:VWS) (Aarhus, Denmark) have a combined generating capacity of 258 MW of electricity, enough to power 230,000 households. Each turbine measures 195 metres from sea level to blade tip and uses blades weighing 35 tonnes each and measuring 80 metres long. They have more than twice the capacity of the turbines in place in the existing Burbo Bank windfarm, which was commissioned in 2007. Industrial Info reported on the final turbines going in at the start of this year. For additional information, see January 3, 2017, article - World's Largest Wind Turbines Fully Installed at Burbo Bank Project.

The windfarm was developed by DONG Energy A/S (Fredericia, Denmark) and partners Danish pension provider PKA (Hellerup) (25%) and the LEGO Group (Billund) (25%). Just one of the new turbines can generate more than the whole of Vindeby, the world's first offshore windfarm, constructed by DONG off the Danish coast 25 years ago.

"There has been a lot of public interest in this project due to it being the first time the 8-MW turbines have been installed offshore, so we are absolutely delighted that Burbo Bank Extension has been fully commissioned and is now providing clean energy to the U.K.," said DONG Energy Project Director, Claus Bøjle Møller.

Henrik Poulsen, DONG Energy chief executive officer, commented: "Burbo Bank Extension showcases the rapid innovation in the offshore wind industry. Less than 10 years ago at Burbo Bank, we were the first to install Siemens 3.6-MW wind turbines and in this short time, the wind turbines have more than doubled in capacity. Pushing innovation in this way reduces the cost of electricity from offshore wind and will help to advance the offshore wind industry across the world. The project has also helped to develop the U.K. supply chain. It is the first offshore windfarm to use U.K. manufactured blades and the order for transition pieces was the first for Teesside factory Offshore Structures Britain."

In related news, DONG celebrated first power from its Race Bank offshore windfarm located off the North Norfolk coast in the U.K. The first batch of turbines are now exporting power to the grid. When completed later this year, there will be 91 Siemens 6-MW turbines in place, generating 573 MW of electricity, enough to power more than half a million homes.

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