The photo is sourced from Global Times
The platform, named Guanlan, consists of three side columns and a central column, above which a wind generator with a capacity of 7.25 megawatts (MW) will be mounted. The platform is 80 metres in diameter and 35 metres tall, with a weight of about 4,000 tons. Its structure is designed to keep the wind generator safe: the installation will deviate by no more than 10 degrees in case of a force 17 typhoon (maximum level on the Beaufort scale) and can withstand wind with a velocity of up to 84 metres per second. The floating WPP will generate 22 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year, which is equivalent to annual power consumption by 30,000 people. Electricity generated by the WPP will be fed to oil and gas production facilities via submarine cables, making it possible to save 10 billion m3 of gas per year on power generation, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22,000 tons per year.
China is the world leader in terms of the pace of coastal wind power development. According to World Forum Offshore Wind (WFO), the year 2022 saw China put into operation 6.8 gigawatts (GW) of coastal WPPs, with just 2.6 GW of such facilities entering operation in the rest of the world. The global capacity of the active coastal WPPs in 2022 reached 57.6 GW, of which 25.6 GW (44%) were operating in China. A similar ratio is observed with regard to under-construction plants: by late 2022, a total of 3.4 GW of coastal WPPs were under construction in China, with 9 GW of WPPs being built in the rest of the world.
However, deep-water WPPs are still rare due to, among other things, the inability to use standard wind generators at great depths. These limits can be overcome with the help of pyramid-shaped wind generators. For instance, late last year France’s Eolink began the construction of a demonstration model of a floating WPP, which consists of four almost interlocking towers mounted to a square base with the blades fixed to the top. The plant will initially be assembled at a shipyard and then towed into the open sea where it will be attached to the seabed with cables, anchors and a so-called dynamic ballast system capable of rotating the entire structure at the angle of 120 degrees.
