GE has completed production of the first nacelle for its 12MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine at Saint-Nazaire in France.
The component will be shipped from the French factory to the port of Rotterdam-Maasvlakte where it will be installed on the prototype of the turbine, which is currently being built on land, GE said.
The Saint-Nazaire facility has meanwhile started work on a second Haliade-X nacelle, which GE said will be sent to the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult facilities at Blyth in north-east England for testing in the coming months.
“We are on track to start commercialising this new product very shortly. Once we have received the type certificate in 2020 we will be ready to start mass production and send out the first commercial units by mid-2021,” GE offshore wind chief executive John Lavelle said.
“The Haliade-X 12MW is an outstanding and strategic project for GE. We aim to meet the requirements of our customers by providing a more affordable and competitive energy source.”
GE’s nacelle plant in Saint-Nazaire has produced components for over 80 6MW Haliade turbines since opening its doors in 2014.
“Today’s presentation of the first ever Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle at Saint-Nazaire is the start of a key new phase in our ongoing commitment to structuring the offshore wind turbine segment,” GE Renewable Energy chief executive Jerome Pecress said.
The first 107-metre blade for the Haliade-X rolled out of LM Wind Power production facilities in Cherbourg last month and will also be taken to Blyth for testing.
The onshore prototype in Rotterdam is due to be completed later this year.