China uses 1st offshore wind turbine with foreign investment

China's first offshore wind farm with foreign investment and the country's farthest and most difficult wind farm was put into use on Wednesday in East China, which a project employee said demonstrates foreign companies' trust in China's offshore power market. 

Seventy-five wind turbines have been connected to the grid, marking the official commissioning of the project, according to a statement issued by the National Energy Group on Wednesday. 

Located 42 kilometers off the coast of Dongtai, Jiangsu Province, the project, named Dongtai Phase IV-300MW, is expected to generate 810 million kilowatts per year, equivalent to 20 percent of the city's annual electrical consumption, which has a population of more than 1.1 million, the statement said. 

The project can save 268,500 tons of standard coal annually, accelerating the adjustment of the energy structure to cope with global climate change, according to the statement.   

The project is one of the two cooperative offshore wind projects signed in March by the China Energy Investment Group and Électricité de France Group (EDF), the leading electricity utility company in France. The total installed capacity of the two projects will be 500 megawatts. 

This is EDF's first move into the Asian offshore wind power market, which makes the group the first foreign offshore wind power developer to enter China's market, media reported. 

The Phase V project is expected to be put into operation by 2021, according to an employee working for the project in Dongtai who requested anonymity.

EDF participated in the project in an all-round way--from the construction to the operation--the employee told Global Times on Thursday, noting that EDF has brought its own rich experience in offshore power supply to the project. 

The group's participation shows its trust in the benefits of the project, and reflects the potential of China's offshore power market, the staff said. 

The National Energy Group's statement noted that the project is the most difficult offshore wind power project in China due to its far distance and complicated water regime, and frequent typhoons in the location. 

It also noted that the monopile foundation technology has been applied for the first time worldwide to hoist the No.16 wind turbine.