General Electric’s massive Haliade-X wind turbine is getting even more powerful.
The Boston-based company has just signed supply contracts with the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, off the eastern coast of England. GE will supply 190 Haliade-X turbines for the first two phases of the project, which would be the world’s largest wind farm when it’s completed in 2026. These turbines would have a generation capacity of 13 megawatts, compared to an earlier, 12-megawatt version. (Even at 12 megawatts, the Haliade-X prototype in Rotterdam is the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation today, according to GE.) GE said its engineers have found a way to run the Haliade-X turbine at a higher output level than before. The Haliade-X features three blades, each 107 meters long, or longer than a football field. GE will use its manufacturing facilities in France to make core components. The company also has supply contracts to provide Haliade-X turbines for wind farms planned for waters off the coasts of New Jersey and Maryland.