Asia’s largest offshore wind turbine goes online

China’s first offshore wind turbine with a capacity of 10 MW was connected to the grid on July 12 at a wind farm in east China’s Fujian province, developed and operated by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG).

The giant wind turbine, installed at the Xinghua Bay Wind Farm Phase II in Fujian province, is the largest offshore wind turbine in Asia and the second biggest globally, setting a new record for China’s unit capacity of offshore wind turbines.

The 10-MW wind turbine, jointly developed by Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) and CTG, was assembled at the CTG Offshore Wind Power International Industrial Park in Fujian.

The 10-MW machine dwarfs the mainstream offshore wind turbines currently in service in China, which are typically in the range of 4-MW to 6-MW per unit.

The 10 MW wind turbine has a rotor diameter of 185 meters, which is the same height of the Three Gorges Dam. The height of the installed rotor center is about 115 meters above sea level, or the height of a 40-story building. The turbine features 90-meter blades, setting a record among China’s domestically-made turbines.

It is estimated that the wind energy converter can produce 40 million kWh of clean energy every year at an average wind speed of 10 meters per second.

The annual power output can support the average electricity consumption of 20,000 households of three members in a year. The turbine will reduce coal use by 13,000 tonnes and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 35,000 tonnes.