GE Vernova will supply 16 of its 6.1 MW-158m Cypress onshore wind turbines for ESB’s 96 MW Chleansaid Wind Farm in the Scottish Highlands, as construction of the project moves forward.
The agreement includes a 20-year services contract, with the turbines to be manufactured in Germany. Chleansaid will be the first UK deployment of GE Vernova’s 6 MW-class onshore wind turbine platform.
The project is ESB’s first wholly developed onshore wind farm in Scotland and forms part of the Irish utility’s wider expansion of renewable generation in the UK. It also supports Scotland’s efforts to increase wind capacity and reduce emissions from electricity generation.
The Cypress 6.1 MW-158m features a 158m rotor and incorporates GE Vernova’s split-blade technology, which allows blades to be transported in sections and assembled closer to the turbine site.
The technology is intended to ease the transportation of large turbine components to remote or difficult-to-access locations, where road infrastructure, tight bends and other physical constraints can make the delivery of conventional, full-length blades challenging.
The choice of the Cypress turbine is therefore particularly relevant to the Chleansaid site, where the logistics of transporting large components through the Scottish Highlands will be an important consideration.
GE Vernova says its 6 MW-class platform has more than 1,800 turbines in operation and has accumulated over 38 million operating hours across its 6 MW products.
Gilan Sabatier, GE Vernova’s chief commercial officer for onshore wind in international markets, said Chleansaid would be the first UK application of the company’s “workhorse 6MW turbine”.
For ESB, Chleansaid marks another step in the expansion of its Scottish renewable generation portfolio. Paul Lennon, ESB’s head of renewables, described it as the company’s first wholly developed onshore wind project in Scotland and said the development was moving into construction.
The project also builds on an existing relationship between the two companies, with GE Vernova having previously supplied ESB with equipment through its Power and Electrification businesses.
The deployment of the Cypress turbine’s split-blade technology at Chleansaid highlights the growing importance of transport logistics as onshore wind turbines become larger. As rotor diameters and blade lengths increase, the ability to move components through constrained road networks can increasingly influence turbine selection, particularly for projects in remote or mountainous areas.
