ESSEN, Germany, March 22 (UPI) -- A wind turbine capable of generating 6 megawatts of power, the world's most powerful, was installed off the Belgian coast, a German energy company said.
German energy company RWE Innogy announced a turbine with a rated capacity of 6.15 megawatts was installed at the offshore Thornton Bank wind farm.
"The installation of the first 6 MW turbine in a commercial offshore wind farm is an important milestone for the entire offshore wind industry," Martin Skiba, head of offshore wind power, said in a statement. "It marks another step along the road towards larger offshore wind power plants with ever more powerful machines."
The entire Thornton Bank power plant would generate about 325 MW of power, enough to meet the yearly electricity demands of around 600,000 people. RWE said the 6 MW turbine can meet the demands of 6,000 people.
The second and third phases of construction for the project, the largest of its kind in Europe, will feature at least 48 wind farms. Construction in the final third phase started this year.
Eight commercial banks are providing $1.28 billion in funding for the project.
