China’s first large-scale deep-water offshore wind power base will settle in the city of Jieyang in South China’s Guangdong province.

        Chinese new energy giant China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) and Jieyang municipal government signed cooperation agreements on the development of an offshore wind power project with 3GW capacity in the eastern part of Guangdong province on Dec 21, 2017.

        CGN and Jieyang will cooperate in developing deep-water sites with deep-water offshore wind power technology, building an offshore wind power engineering base and R&D center.

        Li Shuihua, secretary of Jieyang municipal Party committee, Ye Niuping, mayor of Jieyang city, He Yu, chairman of CGN and Shu Guogang, senior vice president of CGN attended the signing ceremony.

        Jieyang offshore wind power project, with a total investment of more than 100 billion yuan ($15.38 billion) and initial investment of about 5 billion yuan, is a major project in new energy, following the 19th CPC National Congress in October, 2017.

        CGN Chairman He Yu pointed out that China will promote green development, strengthen its clean energy industry, promote the revolution in energy production and consumption and build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient modern energy system.

        He said that the development of offshore wind power conforms to the national strategy for green development. It marks a concrete practice to implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and also an important measure to promote supply-side reform of energy structure.

        Chen Sui, chairman of CGN New Energy Holdings Co, said that CGN will make full use of its successful experience in offshore wind power construction.

        Chen noted that CGN will develop the project into a domestic deep-water offshore wind power demonstration area, help Jieyang become a domestic deep-water offshore wind power R&D demonstration base, as well as building an offshore wind power engineering base in the city.

        In recent years, Guangdong provincial Party committee and provincial government have attached great importance to the development of offshore wind power and regard it as an important way to build a strong marine economy province, expand the “blue economic space” and adjust the energy structure. Thus, Guangdong put forward the strategy of building a trillion-level offshore wind power industry.

        Jieyang is one of the 14 coastal prefecture-level cities in Guangdong province, which has abundant and high quality offshore wind power resources. It has been actively building a seaport economic zone and strengthening comprehensive development and protection of the ocean.

        Li Shuihua, secretary of Jieyang municipal Party committee, said that Jieyang will take advantage of the project to promote research, development and the construction of local offshore wind power and upstream and downstream industries. Jieyang will develop into an offshore wind power industry center with domestic and international influence.

        Li added that the offshore wind power project base is not only conducive to the development of clean energy in Guangdong, but will also bring employment opportunities, attracting high-end scientific and technological personnel, and play an important role in the development of offshore wind power in China.

        CGN has become a leader in developing offshore wind power and is the only company engaged in floating wind power projects across the country.

        On Sept 8, 2016, CGN’s offshore wind power project, located about 25 kilometers off the coast of Rudong in Jiangsu province connected to the grid and went into operation.

        In September 2017, CGN’s offshore wind power project in Nanpeng Island sea area, Yangjiang city, received approval from local governments to implement, which was the largest single offshore wind project approved after a one-off application in China. It is only now surpassed by the Jieyang project.

        On its overseas expansion, CGN won the tender of the first large-scale floating offshore wind power demonstration project in France in July, 2016. This is the first time that a Chinese enterprise has entered the field of floating offshore wind power.