Ultra-large 35MW offshore wind turbines envisaged in new tender
News comes just weeks after record-smashing 26MW wind turbine was installed in China, as analyst says turbines even of that size are 'unlikely to be the upper limit'
The prospect of goliath 35MW offshore wind turbines has been raised in a new construction tender, as an industry race to build ever more powerful machines shows no sign of slowing.
The tender was published last week by Huaneng, a Chinese state-owned power development group that is one of the largest in the country.
The tender calls for the building of infrastructure that would support the testing of an up to 35MW offshore wind turbine.
That infrastructure includes works to ready the site for the foundation of the future turbine, and the supply of a lifting platform. Other auxiliary works include building an office and other facilities for workers.
The test site will be built in an industrial development park in Yingkou, a coastal city in China’s northeast, near its border with North Korea.
Huaneng said the site will meet the testing needs of large-capacity offshore wind turbines and enhance China's technological competitiveness in the field.
Chinese wind giants dominate the race for ever more powerful turbines. This comes amid industry concern, especially in the West, that such an industry ‘arms race’ is detrimental to the speedy rollout of wind turbines, given the headaches it causes the supply chain and questions it poses over the reliability of machines.
“Huaneng’s launch of the 35MW wind turbine test platform in Yingkou sends a strong signal: China’s push toward turbine scale-up is far from over,” said Chao Guo, market analyst at intelligence firm TGS.
“This project is not only about meeting the testing needs of large offshore turbines, but also about building a comprehensive validation platform to support future breakthroughs.”
“From this perspective, the 25MW class is unlikely to be the upper limit,” he said. “China is clearly preparing for even larger turbines, underscoring its ambition to secure a leading edge in the global wind power race."