General Electric (GE) has unveiled a new, “mega-powerful” offshore wind turbine design.

The next-generation 12MW structure can achieve an output of 67GWh of power a year – its developer says this is around 45% more than the largest turbine currently in operation.

Its blades are 107 metres long and each unit will generate enough power to supply around 16,000 European households, with a 62-turbine wind farm able to supply approximately one million homes.

GE believes the Haliade-X could prove one of the first models fit for the subsidy-free renewable facilities planned across Europe in the 2020s.

A joint industry project has been launched to investigate the next generation of wind technology.