Envision Energy has launched a 16.7 MW offshore wind turbine aimed at high-wind sites and international markets, adding another large machine to the rapidly expanding offshore turbine segment.
The EN-252/16.7 is designed to increase energy output while reducing the number of turbines required, thereby improving project economics at suitable offshore sites.
The machine builds on the company’s Model Z platform, which has been operating since 2023. Envision said the new turbine incorporates a Europe-specific high-performance rotor and is undergoing component and system-level validation.
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,” he added.
The EN-252/16.7 has a 252 m rotor and a swept-area-to-power ratio of about 2.99 m2/kW. Envision estimates that, on a gigawatt-scale project, using the turbine could increase annual energy production by around 1-2% and cut turbine numbers by about 10% compared with currently available machines, depending on site conditions.
The company estimates this could reduce levelised cost of energy by 2-4%. Site-specific uprating could provide additional capacity without increasing turbine numbers.
Reliability testing includes drivetrain loading trials and more than 600 hours of highly accelerated life testing. Envision says its manufacturing experience includes approximately 12,000 gearboxes, 12,000 main bearings, 25,000 blade sets, 23,000 generators and 28,000 converters.
The turbine is also designed for extreme conditions, including 10-minute average winds of up to 58.5 m/s and 50-year, three-second gusts of up to 82 m/s.
Envision says its Galileo AI monitoring system, deployed across more than 20,000 turbines since 2020, will provide predictive fault detection and maintenance support.
