China Installs World’s Most Powerful Offshore Wind Turbine

China has installed the world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine, a 26-megawatt (MW) machine built by state-owned Dongfang Electric, overtaking Siemens Gamesa’s 21.5 MW turbine in Denmark. The prototype has been placed at a testing and certification base.

The turbine is the largest in both capacity and size ever built. It has a rotor diameter of 310 meters, blades measuring a record 153 meters in length, and a hub height of 185 meters above sea level.

Dongfang shipped a 500-tonne nacelle, claimed to be the world’s heaviest, together with three blades to the installation site earlier this month. The company said the turbine contains more than 30,000 components and is designed to survive Category 17 super typhoons with wind speeds reaching 200 kilometers per hour.

Built for offshore regions with wind speeds of eight meters per second and above, the turbine can generate up to 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually if average wind speeds reach 10 meters per second. That output is enough to supply power to 55,000 households, while saving around 30,000 tons of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80,000 tons each year.

Dongfang explained that in May, it had completed static load testing on the turbine’s blades, and the unit is now undergoing fatigue testing. This process is expected to last up to a year before the turbine can be fully certified for commercial use.

Data from BloombergNEF suggests that the country is expected to install nearly three out of every four new offshore turbines globally this year. In contrast, projects in the United States, Europe, and Japan are struggling due to high financing costs, supply chain problems, and cuts in subsidies.

China’s advantage comes from its integrated supply chains, government-backed financing, supportive policies, and continuous advances in technology. Researchers have observed that the country’s large domestic market allows turbine makers to experiment and innovate at scale. Yujia Han, a researcher at Global Energy Monitor, told Bloomberg that this environment provides Chinese companies with the skills and platform to build competitiveness on the global stage.

China’s leading turbine manufacturers, including Dongfang Electric, Goldwind, and Ming Yang Smart Energy, are now aiming to expand into international markets.

References: interestingengineering, electrek

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