China's new offshore wind power project using ultra-large wind turbines goes into operation
The Fanshi offshore wind power project in Yangjiang, South China's Guangdong Province (Photo: Courtesy of CGN)
China's first large offshore wind power project that utilizes 18-megawatt (MW) ultra-large offshore wind turbines on a large scale went into full operation on Thursday, according to Chinese energy giant China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN).
The commencement of full-capacity operations of the Fanshi offshore wind power project in Yangjiang, South China's Guangdong Province will further promote the nation's drive to develop large-capacity, low-cost offshore wind farms to achieve high-quality development and supply the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with green energy, CGN said in a statement sent to the Global Times.
The project includes a total of 131 wind turbines and is located some 81 kilometers offshore. Notably, the project boasts 33 18-MW-class ultra-large offshore wind turbines, making it the largest cluster of offshore wind turbines with such a high single-unit capacity deployed on a large scale.
The wind turbines have a rotor diameter of 292 meters, with a swept area of about 66,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of nine standard football fields, according to the company.
Under full-load operation, each rotation of the rotor can generate about 43 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to meet the daily electricity needs of an ordinary household for nine consecutive days. A single turbine can generate up to 56 million kWh per year, according to the company.
Large-scale application can effectively reduce the number of turbine sites and lower the costs of submarine cable laying, offshore foundation construction, and sea area use.
The milestone is expected to help propel China's offshore wind power industry into a new phase of high-quality development, characterized by larger capacity, higher efficiency and lower costs, a Chinese analyst said.
The Fanshi offshore wind power project can deliver more than 6.6 billion kWh of clean electricity to the grid each year, equivalent to saving about 1.92 million tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 5.1 million tons, according to CGN.
Offshore wind is a key driver of China's low-carbon energy transition. Located near coastal load centers, offshore wind can supply clean power close to major centers of energy consumption. It reduces fossil fuel dependence and helps energy-intensive regions achieve early carbon reduction, Sun Chuanwang, a professor at Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Through integrated business models such as "wind power plus port-side manufacturing," the industry can promote the coordinated development of the energy sector and related industries, while injecting growth momentum into the country's coastal regions.
By the end of August, China's total installed power generation capacity had reached 4.10 billion kilowatts, up 11.1 percent year-on-year. Of this total, installed wind power capacity rose 19.6 percent to 693 million kilowatts, data from the National Energy Administration showed on Thursday.
An industry report released in Shanghai on June 17 showed that China accounted for 78 percent of newly grid-connected offshore wind capacity worldwide in 2025, maintaining its position as the global leader, according to CCTV News.