China's offshore wind industry entering era of large-scale development

Tuesday, Jan 08, 2013

SHANGHAI, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- "Wind power has become the third-largest electric power in China," said Liu Qi, deputy director general of the National Energy Administration. "There is no electric power to substitute the position of wind power as No. 3, following thermal power and hydropower." It was said in the report of the 18th CPC National Congress that "China is determined to promote the revolution of energy generation and consumption, to control the total consumption of energy, to improve energy conservation, and to support the development of energy conservation and the low carbon industry as well as renewable energy in order to ensure the safety of national energy."

The State Council recently released its white paper, "China's Energy Policy", which clearly indicates that "Wind power is the non-hydro renewable energy with the biggest possibility of large-scale development and market utilization at the moment. Wind power shall be developed efficiently. China's wind power development is the most rapid in the world. During China's 12^th Five-Year Plan, wind power shall be developed in both concentrated and distributed formats, and the development layout shall be optimized. Wind farm construction will be promoted in areas abundant in wind resources, including the Northwest, North China and the Northeast, and the utilization of distributed wind resources will be accelerated. Offshore wind power shall be developed steadily.

Standards and industry monitoring for wind power equipment shall be improved. Wind power enterprises will be encouraged to strengthen research of key technologies to speed up the upgrading of the wind power industry. The consumption capacity of power systems shall be increased by strengthening grid construction, improving grid dispatching, enhancing equipment performance, advancing wind power predictions and forecasts, and so on. By 2015, China's total wind turbine installed capacity will hit 100 million kW, including 5 million kW offshore."

Under the guidance of the new national energy policy, China's offshore wind development has driven into the fast lane. On November 23, Longyuan Wind Power realized the completion of 150 MW in an offshore wind demonstration project in Rudong, Jiangsu Province. This is China's largest offshore wind farm to realize grid integration, and its completion marks the arrival of the era of China's large-scale offshore wind development. In 2010, Shanghai Donghai Bridge Offshore Wind Farm realized the grid connection of its Phase I project of 100MW installed capacity with 34 sets of wind turbines. The wind farm developer has applied to the National Energy Administration for Phase II of its project of achieving 100MW installed capacity with 26 sets of wind turbines, including one 5MW wind turbine, the largest in Asia. The others are 3.6MW. The project is expected to complete construction by the end of 2014. Additionally, Shanghai Lingang 102 MW Offshore Wind Farm will launch construction in 2013, and expects to be completed in September 2014. In Jiangsu, the Dongtai 200MW Offshore Wind Farm by Shandong Luneng Group is expected to launch construction in 2013, as will the Xiangshui 200MW Offshore Wind Farm by China Three Gorges.

China's offshore wind industry is developing from demonstration projects to large-scale construction. At this significant moment, OFFSHORE WIND CHINA 2013 will be held again from June 19 to 21, 2013, at the Shanghai New International Expo Center and Shangri-La's Kerry Hotel, Pudong. Organized by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association, the National Renewable Energy Center, and Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd, it has become Asia's No. 1 and the world's No. 2 offshore wind trade event.

SOURCE Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd.