News Brief
China's Three Gorges Corporation Leads Assembly Of World’s Largest Single-Unit Floating Offshore Wind Power System
An offshore wind power project (Representative Image) (Pic Via Wikipedia)
China has completed the assembly of the world’s biggest single unit floating offshore wind turbine, marking a major step in boosting its marine economy and renewable energy drive, South China Morning Post reported.
The 16-megawatt floating wind power unit has been assembled in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to a report by Science and Technology Daily.
The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology’s official newspaper noted that all core components—including turbine gearboxes, mooring cables, and ballast control systems—were manufactured within China.
Featuring a rotor diameter of 252 metres—equivalent to the size of seven football fields—the turbine is projected to produce 44.7 million kilowatt-hours annually, sufficient to supply power for more than 4,000 US households.
The unit will now be transported into waters over 50 metres deep for installation, testing, and eventual integration into the power grid before full commercial operation begins.
The turbine is mounted on a semi-submersible platform and incorporates China’s first dynamic ballast system.
According to the report, the ballast system regulates water in the platform’s three columns to adapt to wind and wave changes, minimising tilt, lowering shutdown risks, and enhancing efficiency.
For comparison, the first commercial floating offshore wind farm—comprising five turbines with a 30MW capacity—was launched off Scotland’s northeast coast eight years ago.
Beijing has positioned offshore wind as central to its energy transition strategy.
At a July economic meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted wind sector as vital for the “high-quality development” of China’s marine economy.
This focus aligns with China’s broader efforts to cut fossil fuel dependence and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
In the first half of this year alone, China installed over 4.4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity—matching its entire 2024 additions—according to a July report by Global Energy Monitor, a US-based NGO.
