The first batch of units of the Longyuan Power Hainan Qiyuan Offshore Wind Power Project have officially been connected to the grid and begun generating electricity, marking a new breakthrough in large-scale operation of high-capacity offshore wind turbines in China, the China Energy Investment Corporation Co., Ltd. (CHN Energy) said on Sunday.
The Qiyuan offshore wind farm is located in the western sea area of Dongfang City, Hainan Province. It lies approximately 12 kilometers from the coast, with water depths ranging between 12 and 26.5 meters, and covers a total area of nearly 27.24 square kilometers.
The project is designed to install 22 wind turbines with a capacity of 10 megawatts each and 20 wind turbines with a capacity of 14 megawatts each, bringing the total installed capacity to 500 megawatts.
The first batch of turbines now in operation has a capacity of 50 megawatts and is expected to generate 150 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. These massive white turbines, turning steadily in the sea breeze, are continuously converting offshore wind energy into green electricity.
"After its full operation, the Qiyuan offshore wind farm is expected to generate more than 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which can meet the power demand of approximately 1.2 million three-person households in Hainan. This is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by about 467,000 tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.271 million tonnes per year. The project will strongly support the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and the Clean Energy Island, and will provide valuable experience for the future installation and large-scale operation of high-capacity wind turbine units in China," said Liu Dan, supervisor of the Longyuan Power Qiyuan Offshore Wind Farm under China Energy Investment Corporation.
Hainan Qiyuan offshore wind farm begins operation
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.
In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.
"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.
This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.
By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.
The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.
"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.
China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting
