Siemens Gamesa will launch a US-ready version of its flagship 8MW offshore wind turbine in time for installation in 2021, said the manufacturer.
The 8MW turbine is tailored for US federal codes and standards, “with technology capable of accommodating hurricanes, seismic activities, 60 Hertz operation, as well as operation in high and low ambient temperatures”.
The variant of the SG 8.0-167 DD machine “meets the full range of technical conditions present in waters along the US coasts and in the Great Lakes”, according to the manufacturer, which like its European rival MHI Vestas and local champion GE has big ambitions in the fast-emerging market.
Siemens Gamesa Offshore Wind Americas sales chief Jason Folsom told Recharge earlier this year that the SG 8.0-167 DD would be the focus of its efforts to gain traction in the first rounds of large US offshore projects.
The Spain-listed OEM – a major player in the North American onshore market – scored its first tangible success in US waters in August this year, when its 6MW turbine was lined up by Dominion Energy and Orsted for the two-machine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project the two are planning off the mid-Atlantic state of Virginia.
Siemens Gamesa Offshore CEO Andreas Nauen said: “Contributing to the rapid development of the US offshore wind power market is of great significance to us. The new SG 8.0-167 DD variant enables us to supply our customers with an offshore wind turbine based on years of documented performance. Adapting it to fit the unique conditions found along the US East and West Coasts, and the Great Lakes, is a strategic step forward that we believe will position the US industry for success.”
Siemens Gamesa – the global offshore wind market-leader – launched the SG 8.0-167 DD direct-drive machine in late 2017, with the turbine set to make its debut at two of Europe’s biggest projects, the 604MW Kriegers Flak off Denmark and 752MW Borssele 1&2 project in the Netherlands.
The manufacturer has already unveiled a typhoon-ready variant for the Asian offshore wind sector.
