Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has won a first order in China for its V155-3.3MW machine, and will supply 61 of the low-wind machines for two projects with a combined capacity of 201MW.

The projects come from the country’s ongoing auction scheme, and include the supply of towers, as well as a five-year service contract.

“This order comes less than six months after the introduction of V155-3.3 MW [in China], demonstrating the optimal market fit of the product in China’s low wind market,” said Vestas China president Thomas Keller, adding that the turbine had been designed specifically to meet requirements in the Chinese market.

“This will lay the foundation for success as the market transitions to distributed wind and grid-parity projects, causing a more competitive and complex business environment.”

Western OEM’s saw their share in the world’s biggest wind power market squeezed last year to a joint 3.2%, according to Bloomberg NEF (BNEF), down from 5% in 2018, but a rise in orders in recent months bodes well for their performance this year.

Vestas claims the V155-3.3MW turbine – which is part of its 4MW platform – through a combination of a large rotor with a low power rating will optimize capacity factors at China’s growing number of low and ultra-low wind sites.

Project delivery is expected to be in the third quarter of 2020, with commissioning in the same quarter.