The turbine will go through a five-year testing regime, according to the initial deal with developer Future Wind — a joint venture between consultancy Pondera and Sif Holding.
It has been installed close to Sif’s offshore turbine foundation plant at the Maasvlakte 2 extension of the Port of Rotterdam.
The Haliade-X is currently the largest turbine anywhere in the world, with 12MW of output and a 220-metre rotor. This demonstration machine has a hub height of around 135 metres, resulting in a tip height of 245 metres.
The nacelle was made at GE's site in Saint-Nazaire, while the blades from its subsidiary LM Wind Power were produced in Cherbourg, both in France.
The turbine foundation is based on a four-metre high coning concrete slab with a 28-metre diameter, supported by 48 round piles, each measuring 65cm in diameter, according to project documents.
GE has already been named preferred supplier for 3.6GW of projects in the UK for Equinor and SSE, while it is also in line to supply two Ørsted sites in the US, totalling 1.2GW.
The US firm announced the completion of the prototype on social media.
