Prototype Vestas V164 7MW set for Bligh Bank

BELGIUM: Vestas is set to test the first V164 7MW offshore turbine at 300MW Bligh Bank offshore project.

by James Quilter 7 April 2011

Vestas V164 is the company's first offshore specific wind turbine

Belgian wind developer Belwind has announced it will be making part of its 300MW Bligh bank offshore project available for turbine testing.

In addition to Vestas, Alstom is set to test its 6MW offshore turbine at the site.

Belwind has said the initiative was dependent on its application to receive funds through the EU’s NER300 research grant, which is expected to be worth €4.5 billion overall.

The Bligh Wind project is located off the Belgian coast. The 165MW first phase of the project, which uses 55 V90 3MW turbines, was completed at the end of 2010.

Vestas’ first prototype of the V164 turbine will be built and developed between Q4 2012 and Q1 2014. Production will start in Q3 2014 with serial production taking place in Q1 2015.

Speaking at the V164 launch, Vestas president Ditlev Engel said the V164 "represented the biggest research and development investment Vestas had made".