The first 30 REpower 5M offshore wind turbines are scheduled to be delivered in 2011, and the delivery volume will continue to rise through the years 2012 to 2015. The turbines will mainly be used in the planned Innogy Nordsee 1 windfarm, which will be built 40 km to the north of the East Frisian island of Juist. Due to the distance, the windfarm will not be visible from the coast.

Kevin McCullough, Chief Operating Officer of RWE Innogy, says: “Innogy Nordsee 1 is an extremely exciting project. 40 km north of the island of Juist, we are planning to construct between 150 and 180 wind turbines of the 5 and 6 MW class at water depths of 26 to 34 m. With an installed capacity of around 1,000 MW, the wind farm will statistically be able to supply electricity to around 780,000 households.”

With a nominal output of 5 and 6 MW and a rotor diameter of 126 m, the 5M and 6M are among the largest and most powerful wind energy systems in the world. The rotor consists of three rotor blades of 61.5 m in length and has an area greater than that of two football fields, while the turbine house has the dimensions of a semi-detached house.

REpower is currently installing the first three machines of the 6M series in an onshore project on the border to Denmark.