China's 4th generation of wind turbine installation vessel starts trial run

China's latest generation of offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), the Tie Jian Feng Dian 2000, started its trial run on Sunday, after departing from the construction base in Yantai, East China's Shandong Province, media reported on Sunday.

The Tie Jian Feng Dian 2000 is currently the most advanced fourth-generation self-elevating and self-propelled WTIV in China, with the lifting capacity of the main crane reaching 2,000 tons, and is capable of carrying out offshore wind power construction in waters with depths of up to 80 meters, people.cn reported.

The overall technical indicators of the WTIV, which is a ship specifically designed for the installation of offshore wind turbines, are at the leading level in China, capable of meeting the growing demand in the offshore wind power industry for more installations in the deep sea and pelagic sea areas and larger power of wind turbines.

In June, the Tie Jian Feng Dian 2000, invested by CRCC Harbour & Channel Engineering Bureau Group Co, a subsidy of China Railway Construction Corp, was transferred from the shipyard's berth and dock to the water, waiting to be delivered, the company announced.

The deck of the Tie Jian Feng Dian 2000 has an operating area of approximately 5,000 square meters. The vessel is equipped with an advanced positioning system that is accurate to the millimeter. The lifting height above the deck of the main crane can reach 165 meters, making it capable of installing different types of offshore wind turbines of 20 megawatts and above, according to the company.

After going into operation, the vessel is expected to help increase the annual offshore installed capacity of more than 1,400 megawatts, and the annual power generation is expected to increase by more than 4.16 billion kilowatt-hours. It can help reduce coal consumption by 1.328 million tons and reduce carbon emissions by 347,200 tons.

As of the third quarter of 2024, China's offshore wind power that has been connected to the grid accumulated 39.1 million kilowatts, ranking first in the world, official data showed.

In 2023, China's installed capacity of offshore wind power accounted for 50 percent of the global total capacity, becoming the world's largest offshore wind power market.