GE Renewable Energy and Future Wind, a joint venture between Pondera Development and SIF Holding Netherlands, have signed an agreement to install the first GE Haliade-X 12 MW offshore wind turbine prototype.

The turbine will be installed in Maasvlakte-Rotterdam, a port in the Netherlands, this summer. The deal includes five years of testing and a 15-year, full-service operations and maintenance agreement.

The prototype will be installed onshore to facilitate access for testing. The initial period of operations will allow GE Renewable Energy to collect data needed to obtain a type certificate, a key step in commercializing the product in 2021.

“We are proud that GE Renewable Energy and SIF are using our port as a test location to develop the most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world,” comments Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam.

“As we rapidly progress on assembling the Haliade-X prototype, this announcement is a critical step forward for GE and our customers,” says John Lavelle, vice president and CEO of offshore wind at GE Renewable Energy. “The Port of Rotterdam has been a real partner and provides all the necessary conditions to test the Haliade-X in the most drastic weather conditions.”

The nacelle will be assembled in Saint-Nazaire, France; the three 107-meter 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. The port has begun to prepare the site for the installation.

This prototype in Rotterdam is part of a $400 million investment in the Haliade-X development, announced by GE Renewable Energy in March 2018. The Haliade-X turbine, towering 853 feet, will feature a 12 MW direct-drive generator and a gross capacity factor of 63%.