Innogy has chosen Siemens Gamesa’s 14MW turbines as the preferred model for the 1400MW Sofia offshore wind farm off the north east coast of England.
The agreement includes the manufacture, installation and commissioning of a total of 100 turbines, each standing 262 metres tall.
The 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine, which is 25% more powerful than its next largest model, features 108-metre carbon and fibreglass blades cast in a single mould and a 222 metre-diameter rotor sweeping an area of 39,000 metres squared.
Innogy senior vice president renewables operations offshore Sven Utermohlen said: “The selection of these state-of-the-art offshore wind turbines for Sofia, our largest offshore wind development project, reflects our ambition to strive for continuous innovation.
“Siemens Gamesa’s towering 14MW machine is a perfect match for our flagship Sofia project, together cementing offshore wind‘s central role in the world’s clean energy future.
“This turbine embodies the impressive technology we need to build our ground-breaking project, that is further from shore and more technically challenging than any of its predecessors.”
Siemens Gamesa Global chief executive Andreas Nauen said: “We’re delighted that Innogy has shown its confidence in our new machines and proven its commitment to creating a clean future with us now.
“In uncertain times, we are proud that Innogy is choosing machinery with a pedigree of being solid and reliable.
“As an economic recovery around the globe safely and slowly begins, we’re confident that offshore wind power will strongly contribute to providing jobs and energy stability at attractive prices.”
UK Minister for Energy and Clean Growth Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The UK has invested more in offshore wind than any other country and is already home to the world’s largest offshore wind farms. Now the UK will be the first European nation to boast this cutting-edge turbine technology at Sofia offshore wind farm.
“Offshore wind will play a vital role in a future net-zero UK economy, and already supplies 10% of UK electricity demand – a figure we expect to double by the middle of the decade.”
Innogy director of offshore investment and asset management Richard Sandford said: “The selection of Siemens Gamesa’s turbines was a long and rigorous process, and we are pleased to now be the first in Europe to commit to using this superb engineering and technology.
“It is also to be noted that the company is a staunch supporter of the UK’s offshore wind sector, having shown impressive commitment to the development of its own facilities and to the local supply chain.
“This is of utmost importance to us as we work to support the Sector Deal commitments, particularly in relation to UK content.”
A final investment decision for Sofia is expected in the first quarter of 2021.
The wind farm is set to be the first European project to install the new model, which will be market-ready by 2024.
Construction of the wind farm is due to begin onshore at its Teesside converter station site in early 2021, with offshore construction expected to get underway in 2023.