Dutch Eneco buys all output from 12-MW Haliade-X prototype

Dutch utility Eneco has arranged to purchase all of the power generated by GE Renewable Energy’s 12-MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine prototype installed at the port of Maasvlakte-Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The announcement, made on Tuesday, does not mention for how long Eneco will purchase the electricity, but the prototype will be based in Rotterdam over the next five years as it undergoes a series of validation tests needed to secure a Type Certificate in 2020.

Haliade-X generated first power in early November. This past weekend, the giant turbine set a new world record by being the first one ever to produce 262 MWh of power in 24 hours, or enough to power 30,000 households in the region, GE Renewable Energy said.

With a rotor diameter of 220 metres (722 ft) and 107-metre-long blades, one Haliade-X unit can generate 67 GWh annually, or enough electricity for about 16,000 European homes, and avoid up to 42,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Developers of 4,800 MW of offshore wind projects have already picked Haliade-X as the preferred turbine. The 12-MW machine is in line for the 120-MW Skip Jack and the 1,100-MW Ocean Wind projects in the US, and the 3,600-MW Dogger Bank offshore wind complex in the UK.

Serial production is planned to commence in the second half of 2021.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!