GE Renewable Energy has shipped the four tower sections that will be part of GE’s Haliade-X 12 MW prototype to be installed this summer in the Netherlands.
The four segments, shipping from tower manufacturer GRI in Seville, Spain, will be arriving in Maasvlakte in Rotterdam before the end of the month.
Upon arrival, GE will conduct a series of pre-assembly works, including the installation of some tower segments. After the nacelle and blade components arrive later in the summer, local teams will complete the prototype installation.
The Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle is currently being assembled in Saint-Nazaire, France, while its 107-meter-long blades are being manufactured at an LM Wind Power site in Cherbourg, France.
“The shipping of tower sections is another important milestone in the development of our Haliade-X 12 MW prototype in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam,” comments John Lavelle, president and CEO of offshore wind at GE Renewable Energy. “Our teams in Cherbourg and Saint-Nazaire are rapidly progressing on Haliade-X assembly, and we are working to get the unit fully installed before the end of the summer.”
The prototype turbine will be installed onshore to provide easier access for testing. The initial period of operations will allow GE Renewable Energy to collect data needed to obtain a type certificate, a key step for the turbine to enter serial production in 2021. GE first announced the offshore turbine on March 1, 2018.
