Vestas Chief Executive Engel Unveils New 7-Megawatt Offshore Wind Turbine

Vestas Wind Systems A/S today unveiled a new 7-megawatt wind turbine aimed at helping the Danish company vie with Siemens AG (SIE) of Germany for the biggest share of the offshore wind power market.

The new V164 machine is the first in Vestas's history specifically designed for offshore wind, Chief Executive Officer Ditlev Engel said in London. The turbine has more than twice the capacity of the V90 and V112 models currently made for offshore use by the Randers, Denmark-based company.

Video at Vestas's presentation showed the blades will sweep an area bigger than Wembley Stadium. The turbines will be taller than the London office tower known as the Gherkin.

"This is a product that will set new standards in offshore wind and the energy industry," Engel said. "The tower, the blades are going to be so huge that it will need a completely new manufacturing facility in a coastal location." He didn't say in which country that might be built.

Vestas and Munich-based Siemens are working to win supremacy in the offshore wind market. Of the 3,045 megawatts of installed sea-based wind capacity in Europe by the end of last year, 1,391 megawatts are from Vestas machines while Siemens has 1,357 megawatts, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data.

The corporate PR can be found here

Wind power