Alstom sets up world's biggest offshore wind turbine off Belgium's coast

Nov 20, 2013 - French heavy engineering group Alstom (EPA: ALO) said today it had completed the seaside installation of its new-generation offshore wind turbine, the 6 MW Haliade 150, at the Belwind site in Belgium.

The installation will help confirm how the machine behaves in an offshore environment for which it was specifically designed and developed, Alstom explained.

The French company claims this is the largest offshore wind turbine ever installed in sea waters. It has a 150-metre rotor, with blades stretching 73.50 metres. The turbine is more efficient as its yield is 15% better than existing offshore turbines, enabling it to supply power for the equivalent of some 5,000 households.

The Haliade 150 operates without a gearbox and thanks to a permanent magnet generator, it has fewer mechanical parts inside. Thus, the turbine has lower operating and maintenance costs.

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