Chinese turbine manufacturer Mingyang Smart Energy is on the brink of winning its first UK offshore wind deal with an agreement to supply Hexicon’s 32MW TwinHub floating project in the Celtic Sea.
Mingyang said the preferred supplier agreement includes deployment of MySE 8.0-180 turbines to be placed on Hexicon’s floating foundation and a front end engineering design (FEED) service.
Located off the coast of Cornwall in southwest England, TwinHub became the first floating project to secure a Contract for Difference (CfD) in July this year with a strike price of £87.30 per megawatt-hour.
The contract means that the project, which will involve two turbines built on a single foundation, will benefit from 15 years of revenue support once built between 2025 and 2027.
Hexicon has meanwhile said Falmouth Port has the potential to play an “important” role in development of the wind farm, such as the integration of Mingyang’s turbines with its foundations and operation and maintenance services.
Marcus Thor, Hexicon CEO, said: “A strong and lasting collaborating with a major global WTG original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is essential in any offshore wind project and even more important when you are a first mover in floating offshore wind.
“Mingyang is clearly a world class organisation with an impressive track record in offshore wind and is making significant inroads into fixed and floating offshore wind around the globe. We are very pleased to be enlisting their experience to deliver our project.”
“Mingyang is delighted to partner with Hexicon and engage in this landmark project that will encourage innovation and cost reductions in the offshore wind sector, contributing towards the UK Government’s target to deploy 5GW of floating offshore wind by 2030,” the manufacturer said.