GE starts work on massive 18MW offshore wind turbine

Published by

American technology icon GE is working on the next variant of its successful Haliade-X wind turbine, with plans already underway to deliver a 17 or 18MW offshore wind turbine by 2024 or 2025.

Speaking at the company’s recent 2023 investor conference on March 9, Scott L. Strazik, president and CEO of GE Power & Renewable Energy, explained that they were already “getting a very positive reception from the market with our 17 to 18MW Haliade-X variant.”

While the question was in regards to GE’s larger profit goals, Strazik added that he expects orders for such a turbine won’t happen until 2024 or some time into 2025.

GE unveiled the first Haliade-X turbine all the way back in early 2018 with the 12MW Haliade-X – at the time, the largest turbine in the world.

Since then, competition has heated up, with Siemens Gamesa unveiling its own 14MW behemoth in 2020, Vestas launching a 15MW turbine in 2021, and GE expanding the number of Haliade-X variants to include 13MW and 14MW versions.

More recently, Chinese wind turbine manufacturers have entered the competition. Chinese clean energy company MingYang Smart Energy unveiled its own 16MW turbine in August 2021, but was beaten to the punch by rival Goldwind who actually manufactured a 16MW turbine later that year.

MingYang Smart Energy subsequently upped the ante with the MySE 18.X-28X wind turbine, but was soon matched by China State Shipbuilding Corporation who announced earlier this year plans to unveil its own 18MW turbine.

Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.

Joshua S Hill

Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

NSW won’t rule out slippages to coal closure timetable, as first turbine deliveries highlight lack of new projects

NSW energy minister says government will make "hard decisions to extend" coal closures where required,…

12 August 2026

Why solar didn’t work for this dairy farmer, until he added a battery and put it on wheels

High hot water use, an unreliable grid, and milking in the dark were all challenges…

12 August 2026

Coal will close to schedule, says AGL, but to build more wind we need policy certainty in return

AGL says it will stick to its dates for coal plant closure, but wants policy…

12 August 2026

“No silver bullet:” Wind farms need site-specific technology to avoid bird and bat turbine collisions

No one system prevents bird and bat turbine collisions, but a mix of strategies from…

12 August 2026

“Barely budged:” Big polluters get away with minimal cuts as climate scheme allows too many offsets

Some of Australia's biggest polluters have cut emissions by less than one per cent over…

12 August 2026

Networks brace for solar eclipse that threatens to cut power generation by 9.7 GW

Transmission system operators across Europe are bracing for the total solar eclipse that will sweep…

12 August 2026