GE Vernova to Build Up to 18 MW Offshore Wind Test Turbine in Norway

July 4, 2025, by Adnan Memija

The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) has granted GE Vernova’s subsidiary Georgine Wind permission to build and operate an 18 MW test turbine in Gulen municipality.

The project, which is part of a test programme to advance offshore wind technology, will feature an up to 18 MW turbine, with a maximum tip height of 275 metres and up to 250 metres in rotor diameter.

The turbine is expected to have an annual electricity production of 55 GWh, which corresponds to the annual energy consumption of approximately 2,750 Norwegian households.

The unit is planned to undergo testing for up to five years, after which it will remain on land and generate electricity for an additional 25 years.

“This is the largest wind turbine to be licensed in Norway. It is also the first wind power plant to be licensed within an existing industrial area,” says Ann Myhrer Østenby, section manager at NVE.

The project is planned to be built within an existing industrial area in Sløvåg. This means that the direct impacts from the wind turbine may be lower than for other wind turbines, according to NVE.

The Norwegian regulator also added that the operation of a wind turbine in an industrial area must take into account coexistence with existing industry.

To counteract negative impacts on the environment and neighbours, Georgine Wind is required to implement several mitigation measures. The company will also have to prepare a detailed plan before the construction process begins, according to NVE.

“We have demanded that Georgine Wind AS must carry out noise measurements and follow-up investigations for, among other things, birds and bats. If the impacts are greater than expected, measures must be implemented to reduce the inconvenience to nature and neighbors,” says Østenby. 

GE revealed the next-generation Haliade-X turbine in an investors’ call in March 2023, when Scott L. Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, said the offshore wind market was receptive of its Haliade-X variant that has a capacity of between 17 MW and 18 MW.

A year later, the company announced its plans to build a 15.5 MW prototype in Norway after it received funding approval from Enova, a government-backed agency.