Triton Knoll offshore wind farm picks MHI Vestas wind turbines

The consortium planning to build Britain’s Triton Knoll offshore wind farm has chosen to buy 90 giant wind turbines from MHI Vestas.

A final investment decision for the wind farm, in Britain’s North Sea, is likely in 2018 with full onshore construction starting shortly after, and offshore construction starting in 2020, it added.

The 9.5 megawatt turbine, made by a joint venture between Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Denmark’s Vestas, has the world’s largest capacity, designed to challenge an 8.0 megawatt turbine by Siemens Gamesa, the market leader in the growing offshore market.

Germany’s Innogy and Norway’s Statkraft won a public tender for the 860 megawatt Triton Knoll offshore wind project earlier this month, with a 50-50 joint venture.

Norway’s Statkraft is going to divest its shareholding in the project before an investment decision is made, a company spokesman told Reuters.

Statkraft has repeatedly said it would divest its stakes in offshore British wind.