V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine by Vestas Wind Systems: status and timeline

V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

15 MW offshore turbine with 236 m rotor and >43,000 m² swept area. Capacity factor >60%, ~80 GWh/year per unit. Deployed at European offshore wind farms.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

In production since April 2025; 200 units installed (Sep 2026) across Europe.

Updated Sep 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Hollandse Kust West VI full commissioning

V236-15.0 MW design completion2024Complete.
First V236-15.0 MW turbine installed at He Dreiht (Germany)Apr 2025Complete.
100 V236-15.0 MW turbines installed (Baltic Power milestone)Jun 2026Complete.
200th V236 turbine installed at Hollandse Kust West VI18 Sep 2026Complete.
He Dreiht (Germany) fully installed and operationalAug 2026Complete.
Hollandse Kust West VI first power deliveryJul 2026Complete.
Hollandse Kust West VI full commissioningTarget Q4 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Q4 2026Hollandse Kust West VI full commissioning (next)
Oct 2026Baltic Power (Poland) 76-turbine project completed installation
2027Future large offshore projects across Northern Europe

Current obstacles

Installation vessel availability and weather windowsHeavy-lift vessels for 15+ MW turbines are scarce. High seas halt installation for safety.
Logistics for increasingly large componentsBlades and nacelles approach transport limits. Larger turbines (18–20 MW) require port upgrades.
Subsea cable and foundation engineeringDeeper water requires floating platforms and anchoring still being proven at scale.

Physics limits

Wind energy is intermittentCapacity factors top out ~60% due to wind variability. Grids require storage or demand response.
Scaling offshore installation is limited by physicsCosts rise sharply above 15–20 MW as logistics dominate capex. Floating platforms enable deeper water but add risk.

How it works

3 parts

Wind capture

Large rotor with optimized blades

236 m rotor diameter captures wind across swept area. Pitch adjusts in real time for optimal angle of attack.

Power generation

Geared drive train and generator

Rotor torque converts to shaft power, stepped up by gearbox, and fed to a generator. Output scales with wind speed cubed.

Grid export

High-voltage subsea export

Power from multiple turbines collected at offshore substation, converted to 400+ kV, and exported to shore via subsea cables.

Spec sheet

Spec	V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
Power rating	15 MW^R (reported)
Rotor diameter	236 m^R (reported)
Swept rotor area	>43,000 m²^R (reported)
Capacity factor	>60%^R (reported)
Annual energy output per unit	~80 GWh^R (reported)
Annual CO2 avoided per unit	>38,000 tonnes^R (reported)
Households powered per unit per year	~20,000 European homes^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

5 updates

About Vestas Wind Systems

The team behind V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Vestas Wind Systems

Offshore and onshore wind turbines, wind energy

Vestas manufactures and services wind turbines globally. Founded 1945 in Denmark, it entered wind energy in 1979. With 200+ GW installed worldwide, it is the seventh-largest wind turbine maker, employing 37,000.

Vestas manufactures onshore and offshore wind turbines at scale, with 200 GW installed globally across 88 countries.
The V236-15.0 MW offshore turbine is the company's flagship, with a swept area exceeding 43,000 m² and capacity factor above 60%.
In 2026, Vestas installed its 200th V236 unit (3 GW total), reaching milestones at major projects in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.

vestas.com (opens vestas.com)Company profile →

Founded: 194581 yrs
Headquarters: Denmark
Status: Public
Valuation: $31Bmarket capOct 2026
Staff: ~37,000Jan 2026
Works in: EnergyWind
Coverage: 1 program · 5 updateslatest 1 Sep 2026checked 10 Oct
Customers: EnBW (opens enbw.com)ORLEN and Northland Power (opens orlengroup.pl)Ecowende (opens ecowende.nl)
People: Henrik Andersen (opens vestas.com)President & CEOAnna Mascolo (opens vestas.com)President, Northern & Central Europe and Global OffshoreFelix Henseler (opens vestas.com)Chief Technology & Operations Officer

Spec

V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Power rating

15 MW^R (reported)

Rotor diameter

236 m^R (reported)

Swept rotor area

>43,000 m²^R (reported)

Capacity factor

>60%^R (reported)

Annual energy output per unit

~80 GWh^R (reported)

Annual CO2 avoided per unit

>38,000 tonnes^R (reported)

Households powered per unit per year

~20,000 European homes^R (reported)

V236-15.0 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Large rotor with optimized blades

Geared drive train and generator

High-voltage subsea export

Spec sheet

Update log

Sep 2026

Aug 2026

Jul 2026

Jun 2026

Apr 2025

About Vestas Wind Systems

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Large rotor with optimized blades

Geared drive train and generator

High-voltage subsea export

Spec sheet

Update log

Sep 2026

Aug 2026

Jul 2026

Jun 2026

Apr 2025

About Vestas Wind Systems