China's first large-scale 18-megawatt offshore wind power project reached full-capacity operation on Thursday, a milestone expected to accelerate the development of larger-capacity and more cost-effective offshore wind energy. The 2-million-kilowatt Yangjiang Fanshi offshore wind farm in south China's Guangdong Province, developed by China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), consists of two sub-projects each with a capacity of 1 million kilowatts. It features 33 ultra-large 18-megawatt offshore turbines, currently the largest single-unit capacity model deployed in batches in China.
Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 292 meters and a swept area of about 66,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of nine standard football fields. Large-scale deployment of these turbines effectively reduces the number of turbine positions, cutting costs for submarine cable laying, offshore foundation construction and sea area occupation.
"The Fanshi project has 131 offshore wind turbines installed, capable of delivering about 6.6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually on average, with a single unit generating up to 56 million kilowatt-hours per year. At full load, one rotation of the rotor can generate 43 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to meet the daily power needs of an ordinary household for nine consecutive days," said Chen Youdeng, project manager of CGN's Yangjiang offshore wind power project.
China's first large-scale 18-MW offshore wind power project starts operation
Dialogue and cooperation between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, matters far beyond the two countries themselves, said Adnan Z. Amin, chair of the officers' council of the World Energy Council (WEC), a global network of energy organizations.
In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Amin said such dialogue gives the wider world grounds for optimism, and that the economic issues between the two sides can only be resolved through sustained engagement.
"It's absolutely essential. I think when you have two of the biggest economies in the world in dialogue and collaboration, it makes a difference for the rest of the world. It provides an optimistic approach, it provides a positive kind of perspective of where we can be going. There are hard issues to discuss. The economic trade-offs are not inconsequential. They need to be addressed. And the best way to do it is through dialogue. And to see President Xi in Washington today is very encouraging, because I think that dialogue is essential today," he said.
Amin added that policymakers should set aside reflexive hostility and focus on the tangible benefits that cooperation can bring to people in both countries.
"We need to get beyond this kind of knee-jerk antagonism that you see in certain policy circles in different countries around the world to really look at what is the reality today. How will our collaboration improve the lot of people in our countries? And what are the best areas for us to do (work on) and who has to take responsibility for what. This is essential," he said.
China-U.S. dialogue "absolutely essential" for world: WEC chair
