The project is the first to use the Siemens 6 MW turbine on a large scale in a commercial project. The wind farm is owned by a joint venture between DONG Energy (50 percent) and its partners Marubeni Corporation (25 percent) and the UK Green Investment Bank (25 percent). It has a total capacity of 210 MW and will be able to meet the electricity demands of more than 150,000 British households.
“This is the first time Siemens has installed the 6 MW direct drive turbine with a 154 meter diameter rotor on a commercial-scale project” said Michael Hannibal, CEO Offshore at the Siemens Wind and Renewables Division. “The Westermost Rough project reinforces our wide-ranging experience in offshore wind and is leading the way to bring the costs of offshore wind energy down.”
Siemens was responsible for the delivery and the commissioning of the direct drive wind turbines which were installed using the purpose-built installation vessel Sea Challenger which is owned by A2SEA, a joint venture between DONG Energy and Siemens. The company is also responsible for all scheduled and unscheduled service and maintenance on the turbines for the first 5 years, employing a wind turbine technician team consisting of 50 percent Siemens and 50 percent DONG Energy personnel.
The wind turbines have an integrated helicopter-hoisting platform at the rear of the nacelle which enables easy and safe access for service technicians. Helicopters will be used to bring the technicians to the turbines and remote monitoring and diagnostics, along with Siemens expert service personnel will support the wind farm and help to ensure the units are operating at optimal levels.
For additional information:
