MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has received a firm and unconditional order for the 860 MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the UK. The order has been placed by Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Ltd. and comprises 90 V164-9.5 MW wind turbines.

The wind energy project will be delivered by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and will not enter into the order backlog of Vestas Wind Systems A/S.

Affirming the company’s strengthening position in the UK offshore wind market, the Danish-Japanese joint venture will supply 90 of the world’s most powerful commercially available turbine, the V164-9.5 MW, for the project and has agreed on a comprehensive service and maintenance agreement for 5 years.

“With financial close now reached for Triton Knoll, the UK has again affirmed its position as the global leader in offshore wind. This means highly-skilled jobs in the local offshore wind sector,” said MHI Vestas CEO, Philippe Kavafyan. “In providing 90 of our flagship V164-9.5 MW turbines, MHI Vestas is proud to partner with Triton Knoll to leverage our UK industrial footprint, notably our production of blades already being successfully exported, and work with Able UK to develop the Seaton facility into a full-scale, pre-assembly site for this project.”

MHI Vestas also confirms it will establish its wind turbine pre-assembly operations at Able UK’s Seaton Port in Teesside, ranging from enabling works to loadout. The company anticipates that its wind turbine pre-assembly operations will generate 40-50 local jobs, either directly or indirectly at supporting service businesses.

MHI Vestas, with ambition to expand its industrial footprint in the UK, will manage all logistics and pre-assembly activity for the project. Turbine tower sections, blades and nacelles will be stockpiled and pre-assembled at Seaton, before being loaded on to construction vessels for transport and installation at the wind farm, 32 kilometres offshore.

Triton Knoll Project Director Julian Garnsey said it was an exciting day for the project: “We are delighted to be expanding the project’s UK footprint with MHI Vestas and to these two east coast ports. The subsequent investment in Able UK’s Seaton facility represents a great opportunity to enhance offshore wind port facilities within the Northern Powerhouse region.”

The news from MHI Vestas comes on the heels of its conditional order announcement for Moray East Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland and, more recently, that the company has hired wind industry veteran Julian Brown as UK Country Manager.