GE Renewable Energy and Future Wind (a Joint Venture between Pondera Development and SIF Holding Netherlands) have announced that they have signed an agreement to install the first Haliade-X 12MW wind turbine prototype in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam (The Netherlands) during summer 2019.
The deal includes five years of testing and a 15-year full service Operation and Maintenance agreement. This Haliade-X 12 MW 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 a Type Certificate, a key step in commercializing the product in 2021. Activities in Rotterdam to prepare the site for future installation have just begun. The nacelle of the Haliade-X 12MW prototype will be assembled in Saint-Nazaire (France), while the three 107 meter-long LM Wind Power blades will be manufactured in Cherbourg (France), and the tower sections will be produced in Seville (Spain). All components will be shipped to Rotterdam, where pre-assembly work and installation will take place. This prototype in Rotterdam is part of the $400 (€320) million investment in the Haliade-X development announced by GE Renewable Energy in March 2018.
