Giant wind turbine with 252-metre rotor could mean fewer machines and cheaper offshore power

Chinese manufacturer Envision says its huge new offshore turbine, designed for high-wind European markets, could allow major wind farms to use around 10 per cent fewer machines while producing more electricity and cutting generating costs

A new wind turbine with a rotor more than twice the length of a football pitch could help offshore wind farms produce more electricity with fewer machines.

The giant machine, called the ‘EN-252/16.7’, can produce up to 16.7 megawatts (MW) – about 4.6 times the maximum output of each of the turbines at the London Array wind farm off the north Kent coast.

Its rotor alone is understood to be about 252 metres across, with its three blades sweeping an area of nearly 50,000 square metres on each rotation – more than 12 acres. 

Shanghai-based manufacturer Envision Energy launched the turbine in Hamburg today and says it has been designed for particularly windy offshore areas, with a high-performance rotor specifically tailored for the European market.

Its greater output means developers could potentially build a wind farm with the same overall generating capacity using fewer turbines.

Larger turbines generally allow fewer machines to produce the same amount of power, which can reduce the amount of equipment that needs to be installed and maintained at sea.

On a gigawatt-scale offshore wind farm – one with around 1,000MW of generating capacity – Envision says its machine could reduce the number of turbines required by around 10 per cent compared with currently available models.

Envision says its new design could deliver around 1–2 per cent more electricity each year while reducing the cost of generating that power by between 2 and 4 per cent, depending on the location and design of the wind farm.

Christian Schrimpf, Executive Vice President of Offshore Wind at Envision Energy, said: “The next phase of offshore wind is not simply about increasing turbine scale. The real value of scale lies in how effectively it translates into higher energy production, greater reliability and stronger economics across the project lifecycle.

“With the EN-252/16.7, we are bringing these capabilities together to help customers capture more value from offshore wind over the long term.”

The turbine is based on Envision’s Model Z platform, which has been in operation since 2023 and has provided the company with operating data and engineering experience for its latest generation of offshore turbines.

Its latest model is now undergoing component and system testing, which has included drivetrain loading tests and more than 600 hours of highly accelerated life testing of the drivetrain.

The machine has also been designed to withstand extreme offshore weather.

According to Envision, it can withstand average extreme winds of up to 58.5 metres per second over a 10-minute period – around 131mph – as well as a once-in-50-year three-second gust of up to 82 metres per second, or about 183mph.

The turbine can also be integrated with energy storage, allowing Envision’s battery energy storage system to provide long-duration backup power for critical equipment and safety systems when external grid power is unavailable, including during severe storms.

Artificial intelligence will meanwhile be used to watch for developing faults and allow maintenance to be planned earlier, with Envision’s Galileo system able to provide warnings of some problems between one and six months in advance.

For sites where conditions allow, Envision says the turbine could also be ‘uprated’ – configured to operate at a higher power rating – creating further potential to use fewer turbines and reduce the capital cost of building a wind farm.

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_{Main image: Envision’s new EN-252/16.7 offshore wind turbine has been designed for high-wind European waters and could allow major wind farms to generate more power using fewer machines. Picture: Envision Energy}