MHI Vestas unveils record-breaking 10MW wind turbine

MHI Vestas has broken through the “double-digit barrier” with the launch of a 10MW version of its V164 wind turbine.

The new model is now on sale and will be ready for delivery starting in 2021. It is currently the world’s most powerful commercially available wind turbine.

The record was previously held by the 9.5MW iteration, which has been selected for use at the Triton Knoll and Moray East offshore wind projects.

Both are upgraded versions of the 8MW base model which has been installed at the Burbo Bank Extension in Liverpool Bay. The largest to be commercially deployed so far are two 8.8MW turbines at the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre in Aberdeen Bay.

“What was unreachable before has become the new benchmark,” said MHI Vestas chief executive Philippe Kavafyan.

“MHI Vestas is proud to contribute this major milestone to the offshore wind industry,” he added. “And it gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to all the wind industry pioneers who have led us to this historic, double-digit nominal capacity.”

The company said the latest upgrade has been achieved through a series of small changes, including a stronger gearbox, enhanced air flow and increased cooling in the converter.

MHI Vestas chief technology officer Torben Hvid Larsen said: “At MHI Vestas, we are focused not on what others are doing, but being the best at what we do.

“The 10MW V164 turbine is the best proof point yet that we do not accept the limitations of conventional thinking and that we think beyond ourselves. We have embraced the challenge of transforming what is possible in our field.”

GE Renewable Energy is currently developing an even more powerful 12MW turbine called the Haliade-X, although it is not yet on sale. In April, the company signed an agreement with the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult to test the turbine at its power train test centre in Blyth.