Siemens Gamesa has been named preferred turbine supplier by Orsted for two offshore wind farms in the German North Sea with combined capacity over 1GW.
The manufacturer is in line to supply its new 11.0-200 DD hardware at the 900MW Borkum Riffgrund 3 and the 242MW Gode Wind 3 project.
A five-year service and maintenance agreement is included in the preferred supplier award.
The award is subject to certain conditions including Orsted’s final investment decision, which itself is subject to the projects receiving final grid dates and consents from the German authorities.
The final number of turbines for both projects remains to be determined.
Orsted expects the installation of Gode Wind 3 to begin in 2023, with commissioning completed in 2024.
Installation at Borkum Riffgrund 3 is expected to start 2024, with commissioning completed in 2025.
The 11.0-200 DD turbine features a 200-metre diameter rotor utilising the 97-metre long Siemens Gamesa B97 IntegralBlade.
The B94 blade design has been re-used and extended to reach the new length, whereas the generator capacity remains at 11MW, the same as the 11.0-193 DD Flex, Siemens Gamesa said.
The upgraded machine with 200-metre diameter rotor provides an increase of 9% in annual energy production compared with the 10.0-193 DD offshore wind turbine with an 193-metre diameter rotor.
Siemens Gamesa offshore business unit chief executive Andreas Nauen said: “In this new decade, we need to translate social and political ambition into tangible action and change.
A”s a global leader in renewable energy, we are committed to helping move Germany towards a competitive decarbonization thanks to the implementation of our most advanced technologies.
“We are glad to do so together with global market leader Orsted, and to deploy our new direct drive offshore turbine with a 200-metre rotor at the same time.”
Orsted Offshore executive vice president and chief executive Martin Neubert said: “Driving innovation is at the core of Orsted’s DNA, and we look forward to once again introducing new turbine technology to the market.
“Subject to our final investment decision, we will install the new turbine on two German projects including Borkum Riffgrund 3, which will be the biggest offshore wind power plant yet in German waters, adding to the more than 1.3GW offshore wind we have already installed in Germany.
“The increasingly larger turbines and projects have been key drivers in making offshore wind cheaper than newly-built, fossil-based power generation.
“Electrification through renewable energy is the fastest and most cost-efficient way to achieve the decarbonisation of Europe needed to fight global warming, and we’re proud of contributing to Germany’s transition to renewable energy.”