Siemens wins major offshore turbine order

Cementing its position as the top provider of turbines for offshore wind projects, Siemens Energy (Erlangen, Germany) has received an order from Swedish energy company Vattenfall to supply turbines for the 288 MW Sandbank project in the North Sea off the coast of Germany. Under the contract, Siemens will supply 72 units of its 4 MW Model SWT-4.0-130 turbines for installation in water depths of 25 to 37 meters at a location about 90 kilometers west of the island of Sylt in Germany’s exclusive economic zone. Siemens said that it will offer a “pioneering” service plan for the installation that will encompass service for Vattenfall’s nearby DanTysk offshore wind farm, creating synergies that are expected to drive down maintenance costs. A specially outfitted service operation vessel (SOV) will be deployed to provide these services, equipped with a helicopter to ferry staff and equipment to and from the land. The DanTysk wind farm is in an advanced state of construction, Siemens said.