Siemens Gamesa Reportedly Developing 21-MW Offshore Wind Turbine

The global race to build ever-larger offshore wind turbines may have another entrant, as Siemens Gamesa has reportedly told customers the company plans to produce a 21-MW model in the next few years. The Bloomberg news service on June 10, citing anonymous sources, said Siemens is involved in researching what would be the world's largest offshore wind turbine by power rating, surpassing an 18-MW model installed in early June by China's Dongfang at a test base in South China's Guangdong province, and a similar 18-MW model developed by China's Mingyang. China State Shipbuilding Corp. in January of last year also announced development of an 18-MW unit. General Electric last year said it is developing a 17- to 18-MW model that could launch within the next few years.

Funding for Testing

Reports earlier this year said Siemens Gamesa had received €30 million ($32.2 million) in funding from the European Union for testing what media described as "the world's most powerful wind turbine prototype" at the National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines at Osterild, Denmark. Siemens Gamesa reportedly told reNEWS that the Osterild site is a test facility partly funded by the European Commission. The news service reported that Siemens Gamesa said the company "will only decide whether we will ultimately install a new product in a commercial project after careful testing. However, we fundamentally believe in the offshore market and the expansion of capacities at sea must be implemented quickly and consistently to reach the ambitious climate targets." An EU document related to the Osterild project said Siemens Gamesa's testing would validate new wind turbine technologies related to nominal power, bearings, electrical system, installation of blades and tower, cooling system, and maintenance strategy, among other upgrades. Siemens Games has been testing its prototype SG 14-236 DD offshore wind turbine at the Denmark site. Mingyang last year launched its MySE 18.X-20MW wind turbine at its Shanwei manufacturing base in China. The model unit features flexible power ratings ranging from 18.X to 20 MW, according to the company. Mingyang in October 2023 said it also is designing a new offshore wind turbine model with a rated capacity of 22 MW. The company said development would start at some point in 2024 or 2025. —Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).