Denmark-based LM Wind Power (www.lmwindpower.com) has manufactured the world’s first wind turbine blade to surpass 100m in length (at its new factory in Normandy).

The 107m blade will now undergo rigorous testing to demonstrate its ability to withstand more than 20 years of offshore operation.

Three such blades will form the rotor of GE’s Haliade-X 12MW, which will capable of powering 16,000 homes.

GE acquired LM Wind Power — the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of wind turbine blades in 2017.

GE also recently laid the foundation for the first Haliade-X wind turbine in Rotterdam.

When complete, the prototype will be 260m tall from base to blade tips, and the rotor will sweep a circle with a diameter of 220m.

The machine is expected to start producing electricity later this year (on land).

Meanwhile, LM Wind Power is planning to recruit 300 more employees for its Turkish blade-manufacturing factory.

The company says this will allow it to respond to the growing global demand for wind power by exporting blades to markets world-wide, including in Europe and Asia.

The facility in Bergama was inaugurated in July 2017 and currently employs about 450 people.