(Yicai) Dec. 4 -- Shantou, a wind power hub in China’s Guangdong province, said it will invest about CNY1 billion (USD140 million) to build the world's largest offshore trial rig for testing the electrical and dynamic characteristics of wind turbines.

The rig will be a leading global research platform for the ground transmission systems of offshore wind turbines, providing an experimental environment for turbines with a capacity of between 15 and 35 megawatts, the southern city said at the two-day Shantou International Wind Power Technology Innovation Conference that ended Nov. 30. 

The test bench is like the wind tunnels used in the aerospace industry and the colliders physicists employ, Shantou added. It will support basic theoretical and model research and development in the wind power sector and help move most mechanical and electrical performance testing and verification for new turbine models from high-cost offshore areas to the land, it noted.

The entire wind turbine production process, from large parts and host manufacturing to testing and verification, can be completed in Shantou, shortening transportation times for large parts and cutting costs, said Wang Xin, general manager of Sinoma Wind Power Blade.

Shantou’s coastline is 396 kilometers long, with at-sea wind speeds reaching an average eight to nine meters per second and average effective utilization of offshore wind power of nearly 4,000 hours a year, according to the local government’s figures. Its installed capacity of offshore wind power has reached 35.35 million kilowatts, with the potential for more than 60 million kw.

Shantou has been fast developing its new energy industry in recent years, focusing on offshore wind power. In addition to the test rig project, the city held a handover ceremony for the Shantou Offshore Wind Power Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park during the conference.

That project, with investment of about CNY4.1 billion, is the world's first park to gather the full spectrum of manufacturers in the product supply chain, including complete 20 MW machines, blades, gearboxes, generators, and bearings. It also offers a complete ecosystem, including inspection and testing laboratories and major scientific research infrastructures.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev