Siemens Gamesa’s first serially manufactured SG 11.0-200 Direct Drive (DD) nacelle left its Cuxhaven, Germany, factory hall on Friday, January 14, 2021. Siemens spent summer 2021 upgrading its production lines to accommodate the new product. This first nacelle is bound for Vattenfall’s 1.5-GW Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.
Siemens Gamesa said that 140 turbines produced at its Cuxhaven plant will be installed at the Hollandse Kust Zuid site. The project is currently the world’s largest subsidy-free offshore wind farm. “Rolling out the first serially manufactured SG 11.0-200 DD is a terrific start to the year. I am very proud that we managed to stay on schedule and carried out a smooth product changeover at the plant despite the adversities of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anton Bak, Siemens Gamesa’s plant manager in Cuxhaven.
The SG 11.0-200 gearless DD wind turbines have 40% higher energy production than Siemens Gamesa’s earlier model. Equipped with 318-ft. (97-m) long Siemens Gamesa B97 IntegralBlades gives each turbine a rotor diameter of 656 ft. (200 m) and a swept area of 337,987 sq.ft. (31,400 m2), which is more than four football fields.
Other Major 11-MW Projects
In late December, Siemens Gamesa announced it would install the first of its SG 11.0-200 DD machines at the Ørsted’s Gode Wind 3 offshore development. It appears the first nacelles are now bound for the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, but the Ørsted Gode Wind 3 offshore development remains in play.
In a press release, Siemens Gamesa stated it would provide 23 of the 11-MW turbines for a total firm order of 242 MW under a five-year service agreement for Ørsted’s Gode. Siemens Gamesa said that the installations should be completed in 2024. Offshore wind projects like Ørsted Gode support the new German coalition governments advanced goals for renewable energy provision by 2050.
The 23 units will be installed at the project, situated 25 mi. (40 km) from shore due north of the island of Norderney on the German-Dutch border. The nacelles will be produced in Cuxhaven, highlighting the value creation by offshore wind in Germany. The confirmation of this firm order comes at a time when the new German coalition government has considerably increased their targets for offshore wind energy production up to 2045.
Germany’s original milestone of 20-GW offshore wind capacity installed by 2030 has been increased to 30 GW by 2030, and targets for 2035 and 2045 have been raised to 40 GW and 70 GW, respectively. “We are delighted to be working with Ørsted on the Gode Wind 3 offshore wind power plant,” said Marc Becker, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa offshore business unit and managing director of Siemens Gamesa in Germany. “This project is significant, as it introduces the SG 11.0-200 DD to the German market, allowing us to serve the country on several fronts. We are able to contribute to Germany’s energy transition by providing our offshore direct drive technology, and we can ensure local value creation from the nacelles being produced in Cuxhaven. We are ready and energized to address the climate emergency and contribute our part to achieving the new ambitious goals for offshore wind in Germany.”
