Blades designed, tested and manufactured on the Isle of Wight in the UK have arrived at MHI Vestas’ pre-assembly facility in Belfast ready for installation on 8MW V164-8.0 WTGs at Dong Energy’s 258 MW Burbo Bank Extension project.
The consignment of six 80-metre long blades, which were designed, tested and manufactured at the MHI-Vestas blade factory on the Isle of Wight in southern England, will be the first locally built blades to be installed at a UK offshore wind power plant.
CEO Jens Tommerup said, “It is a significant milestone for the industry to see the world’s largest blades in serial production arriving in Belfast ready for installation. This marks the first time locally manufactured major components for offshore wind turbines are being used in the UK.”
Belfast Harbour’s commercial director, Joe O’Neill, commented: “In 2013, we completed the development of a 200 000 square metre offshore wind terminal, the first bespoke facility of its kind in the UK in order to facilitate this style of operation.”
Work at the pre-assembly site commenced in April 2016 and since then the first towers have been fully assembled, tested and pre-commissioned, ready for the offshore installation phase.
