World’s most powerful floating offshore wind turbine rolls off production line in China

Chinese state-owned companies China Huaneng Group and Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) have unveiled the world’s most powerful direct-drive floating wind turbine, a 17 megawatt (MW) behemoth which officially rolled off the production line late last week.

The direct-drive floating offshore wind turbine was jointly developed between DEC and China Huaneng at DEC’s facility in China’s Fujian province.

China Huaneng confirmed on its social media accounts that production of the turbine used domestically produced large-diameter main shaft bearings for the first time, as well as other locally produced key components such as blades, generators, converters, and transformers.

Boasting a rotor diameter of 262 metres and capable of generating 68 million kWh of clean electricity each year – the equivalent power needed to supply approximately 40,000 households – the new turbine, when equipped with turbine blades, will have a swept area of around 53,000 square metres.

To put that into perspective, the playing surface of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) measures only around 20,000 square metres.

And when the turbine is installed and fully operational, it will be installed atop a turbine tower with a hub height measuring 152 metres.

Chuna Huaneng expects that the turbine will soon undergo real-world testing off the coast of Yangjiang, in south China’s Guangdong Province.