China's Shandong taps into offshore wind power

East China's coastal province of Shandong is aiming high in developing its offshore wind power industry.

The construction of an offshore wind farm invested by Shandong Energy Group Co., Ltd. has kicked off recently. Located in the Bohai Sea area, the 500,000-kW project will include 60 wind turbines, a 220-kV offshore voltage step-up station and an onshore controlling center.

After its full operation at the end of 2022, the project will generate 1.7 billion kWh of electricity annually, which can contribute to the reduction of some 1.33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Last year, two offshore wind farms were put into operation in Shandong, home to one sixth of China's coastline. The province has planned for the construction of three offshore wind power bases with a total installed capacity of 35 million kW by the end of 2025, as part of China's green energy transformation drive.

Data released by the National Energy Administration shows that in the first quarter of 2022, the newly installed capacity of wind power in the country was 7.9 million kW, including 360,000 kW of offshore wind power capacity. By the end of March, the country's total installed wind power capacity reached 337 million kW, including 26.65 million kW of offshore wind power capacity.