China has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of offshore wind power technology, as the world's most powerful offshore wind turbine has begun feeding electricity into the grid off the coast of southeast China.
The colossal turbine, developed and installed by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), is located in an offshore wind farm, more than 30 kilometers off the coast of southern Fujian Province in waters deeper than 40 meters.
The 20-megawatt (MW) unit successfully completed commissioning and started operation on Thursday, the CTG announced.
This achievement represents the first successful installation, debugging and grid-connection of an ultra-large-capacity 20 MW offshore wind turbine globally, according to the CTG.
At the offshore wind farm, a technician introduced the impressive scale and technological sophistication of a wind turbine.
"This wind turbine well deserve the reputation as a 'heavyweight.' The main body, combined with three blades and the tower, weighs up to 1,800 tons, while the underwater support structure weighs an additional 2,350 tons. It is firmly anchored to the seabed with four steel pipe piles, each measuring over 110 meters long. Every component showcases China's advanced manufacturing and integrated engineering capabilities," said Huang Zhongqi, a technician at Zhangpu Haixia Company, a firm that mainly engaged in the development and operation of offshore wind power projects under the CTG Fujian Branch.
According to the CTG, the wind turbine's hub stands 174 meters above sea level, equivalent to a 58-story building. With a rotor diameter of 300 meters, the blades sweep an area comparable to 10 standard soccer fields.
"The wind farm is equipped with 29 large-capacity turbines, each with a generation capacity exceeding 13 MWs, with a total installed capacity of over 400,000 kilowatts. This means it uses the smallest sea area per kilowatt in comparison with similar projects of its kind nationwide. The clean energy produced by these wind turbines is collected through submarine cables, aggregated at the offshore substation, and then transmitted on land after being stepped up in voltage," Huang said.
Li Qi, a product manager of Goldwind, the manufacturer of the 20-MW unit, said that the turbine embodies more than 40 innovative technologies, accelerating China's offshore wind sector from mere scale expansion to value-driven growth.
"Our micro innovations are based on data from the operation of over 1,000 offshore wind turbines. For example, we have developed an integrated nacelle design that reduces maintenance requirements by 20 percent and enhances the reliability of the turbine. Through advancements in the transmission chain integration, we can now generate an additional 880,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually compared to previous technologies. Additionally, the turbines are equipped with seawater cooling technology, which reduces complexity of the nacelle layout and improves cooling efficiency. These innovations also serve as technical preparations for developing larger turbines in future," Li said.
Behind these technological advances lies a tightly coordinated industry chain comprising more than 150 companies and research institutes. From materials and manufacturing processes to testing and validation, this comprehensive collaboration has seamlessly bridged research and practical engineering.
"By releasing supply and demand matching lists for the industry chain, and through equity participation and collaboration and joint development of projects, we are driving coordinated transformation and upgrading of upstream and downstream sectors, and pushing high-end offshore wind power equipment research and development and manufacturing, long-distance flexible direct current transmission, and offshore wind power operation and maintenance to reach the international leading level," said Lyu Pengyuan, deputy general manager of the China Three Gorges Renewable (Group) Co.,Ltd.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the wind power industry's value creation. By developing meteorological and energy models, wind farms can now more precisely forecast wind conditions, optimize power generation strategies, and perform early fault detection.
Since their deployment in 2024, AI-enhanced wind turbines equipped with large-scale models have demonstrated a 20.9 percent increase in revenue compared to conventional turbines without AI.
Over decades of continuous development, China has established the world's most comprehensive and large-scale wind power industry chain. By the end of 2025, the country's cumulative installed wind power generation capacity had reached 640 million kW, maintaining the top position globally for over 10 consecutive years.
China breaks new ground in offshore wind power technology with advanced know-hows
