China's 16-megawatt tension-leg floating wind platform Haiyou Anlan. (Photo: CMG)

China's first independently-developed 16-megawatt TLP-supported floating wind power platform, named "Haiyou Anlan," has been connected to the Lufeng Oilfield power grid and is directly supplying green electricity, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced Thursday.

Designed and built to withstand the extreme conditions brought by a super typhoon with sustained wind speeds of up to about 220 kilometers per hour, the platform and its operation mark a major step forward for China's deep-sea floating wind equipment technology, opening a new pathway for the nation's offshore wind power development, the company said.

Installed about 136 kilometers from the coast in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the northern part of the South China Sea, the wind power platform stands nearly as tall as a 110-story building and weighs 7,800 tonnes, with a swept area equivalent to 7.5 standard football fields. Power is transmitted to the Lufeng Oilfield power grid via submarine cables. The facility is expected to generate 54 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually, according to CNOOC.

Compared with semi-submersible offshore wind power platforms, the Tension-Leg Platform (TLP) system can reduce the amount of steel consumption without compromising structural strength, thanks to its floating structure. It also cuts down the sea area occupied by the facility, according to the company.

China's deep-sea wind resources are abundant and critical to future offshore wind power capacity growth. The company predicts the project to save 15,000 cubic meters of fuel oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35,000 tonnes per year.