GE Renewable Energy has revealed the first manufactured components of the Haliade-X 12 MW offshore wind turbine at its production site in Saint-Nazaire, France. The first nacelle revealed will be shipped from Saint-Nazaire to Rotterdam-Maasvlakte in the Netherlands over the coming weeks, where its components will be assembled into the Haliade-X 12 MW prototype to be tested there.The prototype will be installed on land to simplify access for testing. This initial phase is designed to allow GE Renewable Energy to obtain the data required to receive its type certification prior to commercialising the product in 2021.
In parallel, a second Haliade-X 12 MW nacelle is currently being assembled at Saint-Nazaire, prior to dispatch to the ORE Catapult test centre at Blyth, in the United Kingdom, in the coming months. The nacelle will be testing in actual operational conditions to reduce the time required to confirm its performance levels and reliability.