The world's first 20-megawatt offshore wind turbine unit was successfully connected to the grid for power generation off the coast of east China's Fujian Province on Thursday, marking a significant milestone in China's renewable energy advancement, according to the China Three Gorges Corporation.
Installed more than 30 kilometers offshore in waters exceeding 40 meters in depth, the colossal turbine began generating electricity as its 14-meter-long blades slowly rotated above the East China Sea.
Each full revolution produces more than 50 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity.
Developed and installed by the China Three Gorges Corporation, the unit features a hub height of 174 meters, equivalent to a 58-story building, and a rotor diameter of 300 meters, giving it a swept area comparable to ten standard soccer fields.
Operating at full capacity, the turbine is expected to generate over 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the power needs of about 44,000 households for a year while displacing roughly 22,000 tons of standard coal.
"Compared with currently common 13-megawatt offshore models, the 20-megawatt turbine can generate the same amount of electricity while using 30-percent less sea area and reducing costs by 25 percent in foundation construction, subsea cable laying, and other key processes. It offers a more economical solution for the future large-scale, intensive development of offshore wind power," said Lin Sheng, an executive at the Fujian branch of the China Three Gorges Corporation.
The unit incorporates domestically developed airfoil blade technology, lightweight design, and digital and smart integration systems. Its weight per megawatt is over 20 percent lower than industry averages, significantly boosting wind capture and power conversion efficiency.
This provides crucial technological and equipment support for further expanding China's offshore wind power development into deeper and more distant waters.
World's first 20-megawatt offshore wind turbine unit put into operation in East China Sea
Spain is seeing a surge in European tourists as conflict in the Middle East prompts travelers to opt for closer and safer destinations.
With Easter holiday underway, Palma de Mallorca airport has been packed with visitors who abandoned plans for trips eastward. Hostilities triggered by Israeli‑U.S. strikes on Iran have forced major airports across the Middle East to cancel or delay flights, severely disrupting aviation and tourism in the region.
"We were thinking about going to Dubai, but because of the war, there was no option, so we came here to Mallorca," said a traveler named Michelle, who works as a kindergarten teacher.
"We thought about going to Thailand, but I see the flights were disrupted and they said there were drones and things like that, so we thought Spain may be a safer option," another traveler Ross McGrego said.
"The situation in the Middle East is a little bit too unstable for my holiday plans," said traveler Rose Danaher, a rabies specialist nurse with the UK Health Services Agency.
The influx has brought new opportunities for local businesses. Local restaurant owner in Mallorca Victoria Amoros opened her second restaurant just days ago.
"50,000 people extra are flying to Mallorca. These people were supposed to fly to the Middle East and they are rerouted to Mallorca. I don't know how we are going to handle that, but we will receive them with love," said Amoros, owner of La Malvasia Restaurant Chain.
Chris Pomeroy, the global head of tourism of international communications group Hopscotch said people all over the world are choosing to holiday closer to home.
"So, 14 percent of international travel goes through the Middle East, it's a connectivity issue. So, when these bridges are down, the logical effect is that people will stay in their hemisphere. We say in tourism that when in times of conflict, investors turn to gold, and in times of conflict, tour operators turn to Spain," he said.
Spain welcomed a record 97 million foreign tourists in 2025, and industry experts say the figure could surpass 100 million this year. With Middle East routes disrupted, Spain's role as Europe's fallback destination is set to grow even further.
Spain tourism surges as Europeans opt for safer holidays amid Middle East conflict
