Jiangsu Xiangshui offshore wind farm is being constructed in the outer waters of Xiangshui County in Jiangsu. The 202MW project will be China’s first wind power project to transmit power via an offshore transformer substation.
The plant will effectively enhance the local energy structure and generate significant social and economic benefits upon its completion in 2016. It is estimated to reduce 389,085t of CO₂ emissions a year by replacing electricity generated by the fossil fuel-fired power stations in the East China Power Grid.
The water depth at the wind farm’s operational area is between 8m and 12m.
The 3,492MW Ertan hydropower plant set several records during its ten-year construction phase
Yangtze River New Energy Development, established by China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC), is responsible for the project management of the Xiangshui wind farm. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the demonstration project was approved by the Jiangsu Environmental Protection Bureau in 2007. Installation of a generating unit and a 2MW offshore testing wind turbine was successfully concluded in 2009.
The project was authorised by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2013.
The project will include wind turbines rated at 3MW and 4MW and based on high-rise pile cap foundations of 146.5m in height. Each turbine will have a hub height of 90m and rotor diameter of 113m.
ABB will provide a 220kV offshore substation for the Xiangshui wind farm under the agreement with CTGPC. The company will also supply primary electric equipment including 220kV transformers, medium-high voltage SF6 gas insulated switchgear and 220kV cable terminal and ancillary systems.
The offshore substation of the wind farm will be equipped with ABB’s wide range of power equipment in a relay station which will transmit wind power to transformer stations on the land area. The system will reduce the power loss caused by long-distance transmission and enhance the transmission capacity.
The 35kV voltage generated by the turbines will be stepped up to 220kV before being transmitting onshore by subsea AC cables, which will feed clean wind power to the grid of Northern Jiangsu.
China Offshore Oil Engineering (COOEC) was awarded a contract for the booster station of the wind farm in early 2015. It is the first 220kV offshore booster station to be constructed and installed in China by COOEC.
The offshore booster station project, scheduled for completion by September 2015, will involve the onshore construction work and offshore transportation and installation of a set of topside.
In April 2015, CCCC Third Harbor Engineering received a $147m (CNY899m) contract for Phases I and II of wind turbine foundation and installation works for the wind farm.
Phase I involved the foundation works and installation of 37 4MW wind turbines and phase II included the foundation and installation of 18 3MW wind turbines. All 55 of the wind turbines were expected to be installed by October 2016.
At 96.37GW, China’s total installed grid-connected wind power capacity in 2014 represented 27% of globally installed wind power capacity. The nation added 20.7GW of new capacity during 2014, making it the world’s biggest wind power market, according to China’s National Energy Administration.
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