DONG Energy says it has received full consent to test two offshore wind turbines at its Gunfleet Sands site in southeast England. According to the company, this is the first time that the Siemens 6 MW turbine will be tested offshore, and it is DONG Energy's first demonstration project in the U.K.
The two Siemens 6 MW machines will be installed at DONG Energy's Gunfleet Sands 3 demonstration project, located 8.5 km southeast of Clacton on Sea.
‘The Round 3 projects in the U.K. are in deeper waters and will have a much bigger capacity than existing wind farms, so the technology will increase in capacity as well,’ explains Morten Buchgreitz, deputy CEO of DONG Energy Wind Power. "This demonstration project aligns with DONG Energy's ambitions to steer development in the wind industry towards industrialization to make offshore wind power even more competitive."
The new turbines will be installed by this November, with construction starting in May, and will be connected through a dedicated export cable. DONG Energy will look to verify turbine performance, reliability and functionality.
A prototype of the 6 MW wind turbine is also being tested at an onshore test center in Hovsore, Denmark.
