China to Build 10.5 Gigawatts of Offshore Wind Power

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources China (Beijing, China)--The construction of 44 Chinese offshore wind power projects, with a total installed capacity of 10.53 gigawatts (GW), will begin in the next two years, under a plan published by China's National Energy Administration (NEA).

The wind power projects are expected to be put into operation by the end of 2017, according to the National Offshore Wind Power Development Plan.

The 44 projects will be funded by top power producers, such as China Huaneng Group, China Datang Corporation, China Huadian Corporation, China Guodian Corporation, China Power Investment Corporation, China General Nuclear Corporation, China Shenhua Energy and China Three Gorges Group. East China's Jiangsu will take the biggest portion of the windfarms, with eight projects totaling 3.49 GW in installed capacity. Fujian will follow with seven projects totaling 2.1 GW; Guangdong with five projects totaling 1.7 GW; Hebei with five projects totaling 1.3 GW; Zhejiang with five projects totaling 900 megawatts (MW); and Lianing with two projects totaling 600 MW.

Offshore wind power is a key sector for renewable energy development in China and an important force in driving advances in wind power technology. China is rich in offshore wind power resources. However, due to complications in the approval process and economic reasons, development of offshore wind power has lagged. As of the end of 2013, China's installed capacity of offshore wind power just reached 429 MW, while its total installed capacity of wind power (offshore and onshore) reached 914 GW, ranking it at the top in the world.

In order to facilitate the approval procedure, the NEA delegated the final approval of wind power development to local governments. Meanwhile, the NEA has engaged a pre-approval system to control the overall quantity of wind power development in each region. To overcome grid connectivity difficulties, the NEA is asking grid operators to construct the needed grid support the wind power projects. Accelerating the development of offshore wind power will play an important role in promoting air pollution control as well as changing the energy mix in China's coastal areas.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 4,400 active power projects in China with a total proposed investment of $1 trillion, and more than 2,000 operational power plants.

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