China's 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine, which is the world's largest and developed with fully independent intellectual property rights, was successfully installed on Saturday in Dongying City, Shandong Province.
The biggest challenge for the installation was aligning more than 200 connecting bolts of a 600-ton nacelle with millimeter precision at a height of nearly 200 meters amid weak tidal flat foundations and at a cramped construction site.
The installation team overcame these challenges by reinforcing the ground using an innovative 'pile foundation method' and deploying the world's largest 4,000-ton crawler crane for the lift.
"We made sure wind speeds stayed below six meters per second. Next, the nacelle was carefully leveled before hoisting. And then the lifting crew worked closely with the high-altitude command to guide the nacelle smoothly into place," said Jiang Ronghua, manager of the Nanjing branch of Sinopec Heavy Lifting and Transportation Co., Ltd.
To withstand salt spray corrosion and frequent summer typhoons which are common in China's offshore areas, the turbine applied a fully sealed, anti-corrosion design to meet a 25-year service life at sea.
It is also equipped with a dual typhoon-resistance system that combines hardware and software to reduce the impact of strong winds.
"All of the turbine’s more than 30,000 components are independently developed and controllable. Key parts such as the generator, blades, bearings, and electronic control system are at world-leading standards," said Cheng Wei, deputy director of the Wind Power Research and Design Institute at Dongfang Electric Wind Power Co., Ltd.
China completes installation of world's most powerful offshore wind turbine
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated his call for de-escalation, immediate cessation of hostilities and genuine dialogue and negotiations in the Middle East in line with the UN Charter, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.
Speaking at a press conference at the UN headquarters, Dujarric said that over the past 48 hours or so, the secretary-general has been in touch with a number of regional leaders, including Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
He stressed that what is needed now in the region more than anything is a way out.
"Turning to the situation in the Middle East, over the past 48 hours or so, the secretary-general has been in touch with a number of regional leaders. What is needed now in the region more than anything is a way out. To that end, the secretary-general again calls for de-escalation, an immediate cessation of hostilities and genuine dialogue and negotiations, in line with the Charter of the United Nations," he said.
Dujarric also expressed deep concern regarding reports of an attack on a primary school in southern Iran, which, Iran said, has led to the deaths of 165 school girls.
He mentioned that the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for an immediate halt to hostilities and for the de-escalation of the situation.
The United States and Israel on Saturday launched "major combat operations" against Iran, claiming that the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed.
Iran retaliated with a series of counterattacks against Israel and U.S. targets across the region, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia, among other countries.
UN chief renews call for de-escalation, immediate cessation of hostilities in Middle East
