54 6MW machines to power RWE project

RWE Innogy has chosen REpower Systems' 6MW offshore wind turbine for its 332MW Nordsee 1 project.

Pre-series versions of REpower's 6MW turbine were installed at Thornton Bank earlier this year
Pre-series versions of REpower's 6MW turbine were installed at Thornton Bank earlier this year

The turbine is a new design aimed at the offshore market. The first offshore tests of the 6MW machine began last spring and are ongoing at the Thornton Bank offshore wind farm in Belgian waters.

REpower will produce the 54 turbines at Bremerhaven, from where they can be shipped directly to the Innogy Nordsee 1 site in the German North Sea, about 40km north of the island of Juist. Construction of Innogy Nordsee 1 is due to begin during spring 2014.

This turbine purchase agreement reconfirms that offshore wind developers are determined to maximise power generation by installing larger machines than have been deployed, thus far. RWE's choice of a 6MW design follows a recent announcement by Dong Energy that it intends to buy 300 6MW turbines from Siemens for installation in UK waters.

RWE Innogy's decision to buy REpower's machines may also be a sign that Siemens' recent dominance of the offshore wind turbine supply market may be under threat. Many developers would like to have a wider range of large, offshore-specific turbines to choose from, with REpower – a subsidiary of Indian wind turbine maker, Suzlon Energy – one of a number of manufacturers seeking to compete with Siemens.