Wind turbine in Fujian reaches new global record

The world's first 16-megawatt ultra-large-capacity offshore wind turbine unit achieved 24-hour full-power operation on Friday, with a daily electricity generation of 384,100 kilowatt-hours, a new global record for single-unit daily wind power generation, said its operator China Three Gorges Corporation.

The wind turbine located at the offshore wind farm in Fujian province has the largest single-unit generating capacity of all turbines in operation worldwide. The turbine's blades are each 123 meters long and can sweep an area of approximately 50,000 square meters.

During the installation and operation of the wind turbines, they have successfully withstood multiple typhoon tests, said the company. The monitoring of various vibration data and indicators of the units have also remained stable. This marks a new milestone in China's research, development, and operation capabilities for large-capacity for offshore wind turbines, reaching an international leading level, it said.

Successfully connected to the grid and beginning to generate electricity in July, the wind turbine is estimated to be able to generate more than 66 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, meeting the annual electricity consumption needs of 36,000 three-member households. That is equivalent to saving about 22,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 54,000 tons, it said.

The company said it should actively coordinate with the maintenance and operation units while comprehensively reviewing and confirming the typhoon resistance procedures for the turbine units, to ensure the safe and stable response to extreme weather conditions.

At the same time, the company will also make proactive use of wind resources, adjust operational methods according to different wind strengths and achieve efficient utilization of the wind resources, it said.