World's largest floating offshore wind turbine rolls off production line

The world's most powerful floating offshore wind turbine, with a generating capacity of 20 megawatts, has rolled off the production line in Yancheng city, east China's Jiangsu Province, according to the country's leading train maker CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC).

The wind turbine, independently developed by China, features a wind wheel with a diameter of 260 meters and a swept area of 53,100 square meters, roughly the size of seven standard soccer fields.

The turbine can generate 62 million kWh of electricity annually, enough to power about 37,000 households, saving 25,000 tonnes of coal while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 62,000 tonnes.

With its semi-submersible floating platform and mooring system, enhanced by smart control and sensing technologies, the turbine extends wind power's reach into deeper waters, ensuring stable operation.

"Floating offshore wind turbines are a key technological trend shaping the future of wind energy development," said Wang Dian, deputy general manager of CRRC Qi Hang New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

The turbine offers customizable options for various water depths, providing optimized solutions for deep-sea wind power resources.

China's renewable energy sector is gaining traction as the government strives to increase the proportion of electricity from non-fossil fuels in its energy structure. In 2023, the country's renewable energy capacity surpassed that of thermal power for the first time to constitute more than half of the country's installed power generation capacity.