Visser & Smit Hanab has completed the cable connection which will link the prototype Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbine at Maasvlakte 2 in the Port of Rotterdam to the Stedin high-voltage station.

The 1.5-kilometre, 66kV connection was tested on 16 and 17 July, after which it was put into operation, Visser & Smit Hanab said.

GE Renewable Energy plans to install the prototype wind turbine at Sif’s Maasvlakte 2 terminal this summer. Some turbine tower sections have already been installed.

The Haliade-X 12 MW turbine features a 220-meter rotor, and a 107-meter blade, the longest ever manufactured. With the largest capacity factor in the industry, one Haliade-X turbine can generate 67GWh of electricity annually, according to GE Renewable Energy.

The nacelle for the turbine is being assembled in GE factory in Saint Nazaire and the blades are being manufactured in LM Wind Power factory in Cherbourg, France.

GE Renewable Energy decided to install the prototype onshore to facilitate access for testing. This is expected to facilitate the collection of data during the initial period of operations which is needed to obtain the Type Certificate in 2020 and ship first commercial units in 2021.