Future Wind has organized a ground-breaking event in Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, to mark the start of preparatory activities to host GE’s Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine prototype.
Earlier this year, GE Renewable Energy and Future Wind, a joint venture between Pondera Development and SIF Holding Netherlands, signed an agreement to install the first Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine prototype in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam this summer. The deal includes five years of testing and a 15-year full-service Operations and Maintenance agreement.
The first activities on the ground started earlier this year with the construction of the Haliade-X 12MW foundation. The foundation will contain 50 piles that will be covered by a 28-meter long foundation plate, Future Wind said.
Activities to prepare the foundation will continue until the arrival of Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle, blades and tower prototype parts later in the summer.
The prototype will be installed onshore to facilitate access for testing. During the initial period of operations, it will allow GE Renewable Energy to collect data needed to obtain the Type Certificate in 2020 and ship the first commercial units in 2021.
The Haliade-X 12 MW is currently being assembled at GE’s factory in Saint-Nazaire, France, while its three LM Wind Power-designed 107-metre blades are being manufactured in Cherbourg, France, and tower sections produced in Seville, Spain. All components will be shipped to Rotterdam, where pre-assembly work and installation will take place.