On January 7, China’s deepest offshore wind power project, the L Site wind farm in the sea area north to the Shandong Peninsula, was connected to the grid. It marks a significant stride in the commercial operation of offshore wind power in the deep and far-reaching sea areas.
China’s deepest offshore wind power project, the L Site wind farm in the sea area north to the Shandong Peninsula, is connected to the grid. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The project is invested in and constructed by the Shandong branch of China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. (China Huaneng), and managed by a power plant in Yantai City, also a facility of China Huaneng. As the deepest commercial offshore wind power project, the wind farm is situated 70 kilometers away from the coast and extends 52-56 meters deep into sea.
With 42 sets of 12-megawatt wind turbines, the project has a total installed capacity of 504 megawatts. It can produce 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, saving about half million tons of standard coal each year.
The wind farm features a four-pile jacket foundation structure capable of mounting 83.9 meters, the tallest of its kind among domestic projects, ensuring safe and stable operation of turbines in complex geological environment. By using the cutting-edge positioning technology of Beidou Navigation Satellite System, builders installed the foundation with millimeter precision. Artificial intelligence was also adopted in the pile-sinking operation, shortening the sinking time required for one pile from 48 hours to 29 hours. Additionally, with the help of drones and artificial magnetic field technology, the project team successfully laid an ultra-long submarine cable stretching 95.6 kilometers.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
