GE has announced that it has completed its acquisition of ScanWind increasing its wind portfolio as ScanWind is a developer of advanced drive train and control wind turbine technologies for offshore deployment.

“The acquisition of ScanWind is an important step in our strategy to place GE in a strong position in the growing offshore wind segment,” said Victor Abate, Vice President of Renewable Energy for GE Energy, at the European Offshore Wind Conference in Stockholm. “We are impressed by ScanWind’s simple, solid, reliable design and by the team of people who developed it.”

ScanWind’s 41 employees have designed and developed the 11 turbines operating on the Norwegian coast which are currently demonstrating the reliability and performance of this advanced technology.

The ScanWind turbine technology, including 11 turbines operating on the Norwegian coast, will join GE’s family of wind turbines that includes the GE 1.5 MW series, the most widely deployed wind turbine in the world with more than 12,000 now in operation. The GE wind portfolio also includes the 2.5 MW series wind turbine, proven in European applications and now also available in North America.

GE continues to invest heavily in driving innovation and research and development in the areas of clean energy and infrastructure – investing over $6 billion annually in research and development, of which $1.4 billion is focused on developing clean technology solutions. According to Abate, “Our decision to buy ScanWind is part of GE’s overall strategy to ensure that we’re the innovation leader by developing new renewable energy technologies, collaborating with key players, and when appropriate, making key acquisitions.”