(Yicai Global) Nov. 22 -- The first Chinese-foreign joint venture to build and run an offshore wind farm, a CNY8 billion (USD1.3 billion) project of China Energy Investment and Electricite de France, has begun to provide power to the national grid at full capacity after being hooked up to the transmission network.

The last phase of Jiangsu Dongtai Offshore Wind Farm in China’s eastern Jiangsu province was completed in June and was connected to the electricity grid on Nov. 20, The Paper reported the same day.

The project’s fifth phase has 50 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 200 megawatts, while the fourth phase, which was completed and put into operation at the end of 2019, had 300 MW.

With total installed capacity of 500 MW, the project is expected to generate 1.39 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, meeting the needs of two million residents and saving 441,9000 tons of standard coal, thereby cutting annual carbon dioxide emissions by 937,500 tons.

Beijing-based China Energy and EDF, a French multinational utility, signed a JV agreement in March 2019 to carry out the fourth and fifth phases of the Dongtai project, and jointly operate and maintain the wind plant. The pair also plan to deepen their cooperation in wind power, photovoltaic and hydrogen energy, and energy storage, according to the deal.

Guohua Energy Investment, a unit of China Energy, has a 62.5 percent stake in the JV. EDF Renewables and EDF China Holding own the rest. Direct investment from the French partner exceeded USD160 million, making it EDF’s largest in China’s non-nuclear power market.

Editor: Futura Costaglione