Embark on a new era of offshore wind power

Recently, the news that the world's first sea land integrated offshore wind power flexible transmission project, the 500 kV offshore wind power flexible transmission project on Sanshan Island in Yangjiang, Guangdong, has started construction, like a heavy bomb, has stirred up waves in the energy field. The launch of this project is not only an important milestone in the development of China's offshore wind power, but also a landmark event in the global energy transition process.

The project starts from Sanshan Island Wind Farm in Yangjiang, Guangdong and ends in Jiangmen, Guangdong. The total length of the line is 293 kilometers, including 115 kilometers of submarine cables and 178 kilometers of onshore transmission lines, with a total investment of about 10.3 billion yuan. Such large-scale investment and construction demonstrate China's ambitious goals in the field of offshore wind power. The project will be put into operation in October 2026, and after it is put into operation, it can deliver about 6 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy to the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area every year. Behind this data are huge environmental and economic benefits. The transmission of clean energy will effectively reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels, lower carbon emissions, help China achieve its "dual carbon" goals, and contribute to the global response to climate change. At the same time, stable energy supply will also provide solid support for the economic development of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, promoting sustained regional economic growth.

From a technical perspective, this project holds extraordinary significance. It adopts flexible direct current transmission technology, which is currently the optimal means for grid connection and consumption of millions of kilowatts and hundreds of kilometers of offshore wind power. Compared with traditional communication transmission methods, flexible DC transmission technology has the advantages of large transmission capacity, long distance, and flexible control. On the sea, construct a ± 500 kV offshore converter station, which is connected to the onshore submarine cable to an overhead terminal station through a 115 km long 500 kV DC submarine cable; The onshore power transmission part also adopts direct current transmission technology, and clean electricity will be directly sent from offshore wind farms to the load centers in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. This scheme of 'wind power landing and direct transmission to the load center through DC overhead lines' not only significantly increases the transmission capacity, but also significantly saves land corridor resources. This technological innovation not only solves the problem of large-scale grid connection in offshore wind power, but also provides valuable experience for the development of global offshore wind power technology.

The commencement of this project also reflects China's emphasis on and determination to develop marine resources. With the increasing scarcity of offshore wind power resources, offshore areas have broader sea resources and larger wind energy reserves, with enormous development potential. Advancing into the deep sea is an inevitable trend in the development of offshore wind power in China. The construction of the offshore wind power flexible straight project on Sanshan Island in Yangjiang, Guangdong is a solid step taken by China in this field. It marks a significant breakthrough in China's deep sea wind power development technology, with the ability to transmit offshore wind power on a large scale and over long distances.

We must also be aware that the development of offshore wind power still faces many challenges. For example, the complex and harsh marine environment requires extremely high technical requirements for equipment; The investment cost of the project is relatively high, and the payback period is long; The operation and maintenance of offshore wind power also face many difficulties. Therefore, in the process of promoting the development of offshore wind power, it is necessary to continuously increase investment in technology research and development, continuously improve the reliability and stability of equipment, and reduce engineering costs; At the same time, we will strengthen talent cultivation, improve operation and maintenance capabilities, and ensure the safe and stable operation of offshore wind farms.

The start of the world's first integrated sea land offshore wind power flexible straight project is a new starting point for the development of China's offshore wind power. It has injected new impetus into China's energy transformation and economic development, and provided a Chinese solution for the development of global offshore wind power technology. We have reason to believe that with the strong support of the Chinese government and the unremitting efforts of scientific and technological workers, China's offshore wind power industry will usher in a more brilliant tomorrow and make greater contributions to the sustainable development of global energy.