GE Renewable Energy has been selected by Orsted to supply 12MW Haliade-X turbines to two US offshore wind farms totalling 1200MW, the manufacturer’s first confirmed deal for the next-generation model.
GE said it is the preferred supplier for the 120MW Skipjack off Maryland and 1.1GW Ocean Wind project off New Jersey, subject to a final signed contract and all required project approvals.
Skipjack is expected to be commissioned in 2022 and Ocean Wind is planned to come online in 2024.
GE Renewable Energy chief executive Jerome Pecresse said the company is “truly excited” to have secured the preferred bidder status.
“Offshore wind is a high-growth segment for our company, and like Orsted, we are enthusiastic about the potential of offshore wind, both in the US and globally,” he said.
“As this announcement demonstrates, our significant investment in technology innovation, which leverages all appropriate resources within GE, positions us to help our customers lower the cost of energy produced by clean, abundant, reliable offshore wind. We thank Orsted for their trust and commitment.”
Orsted offshore chief executive Martin Neubert added that the Danish company has “pioneered” the introduction of new technology in the offshore wind sector for many years.
“We are delighted to see GE’s long-term commitment to offshore wind and to partner with them on our Mid-Atlantic cluster,” he said.
Skipjack and Ocean Wind will be Orsted’s second and third offshore facilities to deploy GE wind turbines, following the 30MW Block Island Wind Farm operated by the Danish developer. Block Island was the first offshore wind farm to use the 6MW Haliade turbine.
Preparations for testing the Haliade-X have already got underway in Europe, with the nacelle installed on a 12MW prototype at Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, in August.
Type certification is anticipated by mid-2020, ahead of serial production in 2021, once the prototype turbine starts operations.
In August GE also shipped a 107-metre long blade for the Haliade-X from LM fabrication facilities in Cherbourg, France, to ORE Catapult’s research and development centre in Blyth, north-east England where it will undergo testing.
A nacelle for a second prototype 12MW turbine will also be despatched to Blyth for testing.
In the next two weeks three further blades will be despatched from Cherbourg to be installed on the prototype in Rotterdam.
To date Orsted has been awarded over 2900MW of US offshore wind capacity through six projects, including Skipjack and Ocean Wind.