Offshore Wind Power Key Technology Training Successfully Convened in Beijing

2010 will be the first milestone of offshore wind power development in China. China is expected to achieve considerable progress in this field, marked by the completion of the first round of 1000 MW concession projects. However, there is a long way to go as the challenge of onshore wind power grid connection has not been well handled. The construction cost which is nearly twice of on-shore wind power and other technical problems also constrains the further development of offshore wind power. 

 

In order to boost the offshore wind power development in China, the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Guangzhou and the China Renewable Energy Society (CRES) jointly hosted a three-day Offshore Wind Power Key Technology Training in the Electrical Engineering Research Institute of China Academy of Science from 18 to 20 Oct 2010. This training was co-organized by China Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA) and Beijing JKD Renewable Energy Development Centre.

In the opening speeches, Mr. Li Baoshan, Secretary General of CRES and Mr. Pål Arne Kastmann, Business Development Manager of the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Guangzhou, pointed out that offshore wind power in China has entered a speedy development stage, which could be greatly supported by the Norwegian experience in offshore wind. This training provided knowledge and advice to China’s offshore wind power development from a technical perspective, and it will surely lay a solid foundation for the industry. Over 50 representatives from Guangdong Electrical Design Institute, SBSS, Guangzhou Development New Energy, Guangdong Mingyang, Huadian New Energy, IMO, Jiangsu Electrical Design Institute, etc. attended the workshop.

The organizers invited training experts from DNV, GL, Nexans, Vestas, the Energy Research Institute of NDRC, the National Climate Centre, Longyuan and Sinovel. In the first two days, DNV introduced their experience on offshore wind resource assessment and wind farm siting, overall planning, operation and maintenance of offshore wind power projects. GL shared their knowhow on offshore wind turbine installation vessels. Nexans introduced their technology on the design, manufacturing, laying and maintenance of submarine cables, and Vestas introduced their latest offshore wind turbine technology and experience in their offshore wind power projects in Europe. In the last day of the program, Chinese experts introduced the offshore wind power policies, offshore wind resource assessment and siting in China and cases studies of the Donghai Bridge project and the inter tidal wave projects. Participants and experts took part in active discussions on topics concerning the whole value chain of offshore wind power projects in China and abroad.

 

It was concluded that this technical training provided an excellent platform for communication among Chinese companies and their counterparts in other countries and facilitated information sharing.