Dongfang Electric Corporation successfully lifted a 26 MW offshore wind turbine at the Dongying Wind Power Equipment Testing and Certification Innovation Base in Shandong Province.
According to the company, the unit is the largest offshore wind turbine currently installed worldwide, setting records for both single-unit capacity and rotor diameter.
The turbine consists of more than 30,000 components and its supply chain is described as fully independent and controllable. Core parts including the generator, blades, bearings, and electronic control system are said to meet leading technical standards. The rotor diameter reaches 310 meters, with blades of 153 meters and a swept area of 77,000 square meters, equivalent to 10.5 football fields.
Dongfang Electric stated that the turbine employs a third-generation semi-direct-drive integrated design, combining shaft, gearbox, and generator. The sealed structure is intended to prevent salt-spray corrosion, while dual cooling systems address heat dissipation. The company also noted a double typhoon-protection strategy, claiming resistance to wind speeds up to level 17 on the Beaufort scale. The electronic control system has been fully localized. The blades are designed to combine low load and high reliability, and the drive-train solution is reported to raise overall generation efficiency by more than 2% compared with traditional designs. A three-level full-power converter has been adopted to improve electricity quality and conversion efficiency.
The unit is tailored for mid-to-high wind speed offshore zones above 8 m/s. Dongfang Electric said that a single turbine can generate 62 kWh per rotation. At an average annual wind speed of 10 m/s, one turbine could produce 100 GWh of electricity annually, enough for the annual consumption of 55,000 households, saving more than 30,000 tons of standard coal and cutting about 80,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The model covers a range from 20 MW to 26 MW to adapt to different sea areas and project requirements. The company emphasized the potential for reduced initial investment, lower long-term operating costs, and decreased levelized cost of electricity.