World’s largest offshore wind turbine ready to go up in South China sea

China’s Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) is preparing to install the world’s largest offshore wind turbine, a 16MW goliath which boasts a hub height of over 150 metres.

The 400MW Zhangpu Liuao offshore wind farm is located in Pingtan, Fujian province, on the southeastern coast of mainland China.

From reports, the project appears to be using an unspecified combination of turbines but will include at least one 13MW and one 16MW wind turbines.

A report from CTG on Monday confirmed that a 13MW offshore wind turbine had been hoisted late last week from the company’s own wind turbine installation vessel, the Baihetan.

After the 13MW wind turbine is completed, CTG says the Baihetan will be moving on to install a 16MW turbine.

According to CTG, the 13MW turbine is already the largest turbine China has installed but will obviously soon be eclipsed by the 16MW turbine.

Once erected, the 16MW wind turbine will boast a hub height of 152 metres tall, 34 metres taller than the more common turbines China has been installing offshore.

The blades of the 16MW turbine will measure 123 metres, meaning that the highest point of the new turbines will measure somewhere in the vicinity of 275 metres.

Able to produce 34.2kWh of electricity with each rotation, a single 16MW turbine will be capable of generating 66GWh of power annually.