Launch of the V164-7.0MW came two weeks after Alstom took the wraps off its "marinised" 6MW direct-drive machine and Siemens showcased a 2.3MW direct-drive unit devised to be scaleable to mega-class for offshore use.

The V164 represents the largest research and development (R&D) investment ever made by Vestas. It is, by all measures, massive, designed "from the first nut to the last bolt" for the extreme rigours of the North Sea environment.

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