The world’s largest floating wind turbine

China Three Gorges Group (CTG) said it has installed a 16 megawatt (MW) floating wind turbine system called Three Gorges Pilot in deep water near Yangjiang city, Guangdong province. Located on a semi-submersible platform, the turbine has a 252 m diameter rotor with the blade tips rising more than 270 m above the water surface. CTG’s new design follows the turbine model deployed last year by China’s Huaneng Group and Dongfang Electric Power Company, with the main improvement located at the technical level of the structure and system.

The turbine’s semi-submersible platform is designed to withstand harsh conditions in deep waters, including waves over 20 meters high and wind speeds of up to 264 km/h, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. It uses a complex mooring system that combines suction anchors, anchor chains and high-strength polyester ropes, along with a ballast and tracking system to keep the platform stable and avoid unwanted drift. The design also includes a number of features that help absorb and distribute the force of wind and water, thereby increasing durability and extending the operating life of the truss.

CTG engineers integrated into the turbine a 66 kilovolt underground cable. This is a specialized underwater power cable used to transmit high voltage while shifting and bending along with the rest of the semi-submersible platform. With a corrugated design, it is built with ultra-soft conductors and reinforced casing for enhanced tension, insulation and fatigue resistance.

Theo Interesting Engineeringthe turbine is completely assembled at Thiet Son port in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Then, it was towed the long way through the Quynh Chau Strait to its final position near Duong Giang. When in operation, the turbine is expected to generate about 44.65 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to supply about 24,000 households.

Theo Offshore Wind Industryin Europe, floating offshore wind turbines typically operate at a capacity of 8-10 MW per unit. The most powerful floating turbine currently is the 10 MW Vestas located on a floating platform in the Éoliennes Flottantes du Golfe du Lion (EFGL) project in France. Other projects include Hywind Tampen in Norway with a capacity of about 8.6 MW per turbine and WindFloat Atlantic in Portugal with 8.4 MW.

Floating wind turbines often operate at depths that are not feasible for conventional offshore wind farms, which require anchoring to the seabed. Because it is located on a giant floating platform that can be anchored in place, this type of turbine significantly expands the ocean area to exploit wind energy.

Floating wind turbines pose many technical challenges because they must withstand constant motion from waves and currents without reducing driving efficiency, and survive in harsh weather at sea during long periods of operation. CTG’s progress attracted attention not only because of its capacity but also because of the challenges that engineers were able to solve, such as high rotor loads, semi-submersible platform stabilization, dynamic mooring systems and offshore grid connections. The project shows that China is increasingly focusing on building large offshore wind farms, especially in deep water areas. Solutions like the Three Gorges Pilot help expand renewable energy beyond coastal areas and reduce fossil fuel use.