Europe: Siemens receives first offshore order for 7-MW wind turbines

Siemens has received its first order for the new 7MW offshore wind turbine: the company is to supply, install and commission 47 direct drive wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of 154 meters. The wind turbines will be deployed in the Walney Extension East project in the Irish Sea. The developer and owner of the offshore wind power plant is DONG Energy. This order is part of the frame agreement concluded between DONG Energy and Siemens in 2012. The capacity of Walney Extension East will be sufficient to supply more than 230,000 British homes with clean energy. Service for the plant will be provided jointly by Siemens and DONG Energy for a period of five years.

“This marks the first order for the innovative Siemens 7 megawatt wind turbine,” said Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore for Siemens´ Wind Power and Renewables Division. “We introduced this upgraded version of our proven 6 MW model into the market only last March, and today we are proud to announce that DONG Energy has chosen our new flagship offshore turbine. Our 7 MW turbine will leverage the energy output of the Walney Extension East Offshore Wind Farm and contribute significantly to lowering the cost of offshore wind power.”

Walney Extension East will be erected off the British west coast in the Irish Sea, approximately 19 kilometers from shore. Installation of the turbines is expected to start at the beginning of 2018. The project is situated next to the Walney 1 and 2 offshore wind power plants, each equipped with 51 Siemens wind turbines with an output of 3.6 megawatts each.

Siemens has already installed more than 5.8 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity worldwide, with two gigawatts commissioned in the last fiscal year alone The UK is one of the major offshore markets. Siemens employs approximately 2,000 people across various sites in the UK in the wind business, grid connections and wind service operations. The company is currently investing 160 million British pounds in setting up a rotor blade manufacturing facility in Hull. The new site is expected to generate not only approximately 1,000 direct local jobs for Siemens but also create jobs throughout the supply chain supporting the development of a clean energy industry in the UK.