Giant 7 MW Turbine for Walney Offshore Project

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Denmark's Dong Energy (Fredericia, Denmark) has opted for Siemens new 7-megawatt (MW) turbine for the 330 MW second phase of the U.K.'s Walney Extension offshore wind project.

Located 19 kilometers (km) off the English west coast in the Irish Sea, the Walney Extension offshore windfarm has a maximum capacity of 660 MW. The deal was announced a day after Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) (Munich, Germany) launched its newest and largest turbine, the SWT-7.0-154. Built around a direct-drive transmission system like the current 6 MW model, it will be able to produce 10% more power.

The U.K. government granted permission for the proposed 750 MW Walney windfarm last November but this has since been scaled down to 660 MW by Dong. For additional information, see November 11, 2014, article - Green Light for U.K. Walney 3 Offshore Windfarm.

"The 7 MW turbine is an upgrade of the 6 MW platform, that we are very familiar with and are already installing at both Westermost Rough in the UK and at our Gode Wind 1+2 wind farms in Germany," explained Mats Vikholm, Senior Vice President for Dong Energy Wind Power, said:. We are certain that this improved and bigger turbine will contribute to driving down cost of offshore wind power even further. We welcome Siemens plans to manufacture substantial parts for our U.K. projects at the new production facilities in Hull on the British east coast. Having manufacturers close to the markets where the supplies are needed is very important to us. This will contribute to driving down the costs of electricity as we're reducing transport and logistics for these heavy components"

The deal was welcomed by the U.K.'s Energy Secretary, Ed Davey: "This is great news for Britain, showing how our policies have made the U.K. the best place in the world to invest in offshore wind. It is particularly good news for Hull, where many of the blades for U.K. projects will be manufactured, and where Siemens are already creating over a thousand new green jobs. I hope to see the towers delivered from a U.K. factory too. Our policies are driving down the costs of renewables and have ensured that British based manufacturers like Siemens are well placed to win renewable energy contracts in the U.K. and overseas."

At the start of this year, work on the giant wind turbine plant in the port of Hull got underway. The €371 million ($513 million) Green Port Hull project is being built by Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) (Munich, Germany) and partner Associated British Ports (ABP). The project got the green light from local authorities in September. It comprises new project construction, assembly and service facilities at Green Port Hull and a new rotor blade manufacturing facility in nearby Paull, in the East Riding. The two sites will create 1,000 new jobs. For additional information, see January 27, 2015, article - Work on New U.K. Wind Turbine Plant Starts.

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