Offshore wind turbine manufacturer MHI Vestas has installed the first V164 9.5 MW turbine at the installation harbor for the Kincardine floating offshore wind farm. This is, according to MHI Vestas, the most powerful turbine in use at a floating wind project.
The first V164-9.5 MW turbine was installed on a Principle Power WindFloat platform, the first of 5 such units to be installed at the Kincardine project, off the coast of northeast Scotland.
Kincardine, being developed by Cobra Group, is set to be the largest floating wind farm in the world by nameplate capacity.
The five units at the project will be installed about 15km off the coast of Kincardineshire, at water depths ranging from 60 meters to 80 meters. This first 9.5MW unit is expected to be anchored at the project site in December 2020.
“We are proud to have the most powerful turbines installed on a floating offshore wind platform,” said MHI Vestas Project Director, Allan Birk Wisby. “The V164-9.5 MW turbines are an excellent fit for the Kincardine project, and it is a great achievement by the team to have completed the first installation at the quayside. We look forward to completing the remaining 4 units.”
Cobra Group said: “This is an exciting, world-leading project developed by Cobra Group. The Kincardine floating wind farm will be the biggest ever built. The installation of the largest turbine ever to have been placed on a floating foundation represents a major milestone for the project and we are very much looking forward to seeing it generate power at site very soon.”
Kincardine is expected to power approximately 35,000 Scottish households.
According to forecasts in the Carbon Trust’s new Floating Wind Joint Industry Projects report, an estimated 70GW of floating wind could be installed across the globe by 2040.
Kincardine Floating Offshore Wind
Developer: Kincardine Offshore Wind, Ltd (KOWL). Majority owned by the Cobra Group
EPC Contractor: Cobra Wind International Limited (CWIL).
Turbines: 5 x V164-9.525 MW + 1 V80-2.0 MW
Blade tip height: 190 meters
Foundation: WindFloat (floating, semi-submersible type)
Project Capacity: 49.625 MW
Location: Aberdeen Bay, Scotland
Distance from Shore: 15 km
Sea Depth: 60-80 meters
Nominal Voltage: 33 kV
Number of homes powered annually: 35,000
Expected life: 25 years