The offshore wind power industry in Rudong county, Nantong is experiencing rapid development. A batch of energy projects valued at 68 billion yuan ($9.58 billion) are currently under construction in the Xiaoyangkou wind power industrial park.

"This year, Rudong is expected to receive over 30 billion yuan in investment in 13 authorized offshore wind power plants, a record high for the county," said Tang Jianrong, chief of the energy sector at Rudong's development and reform commission.

The Guosen Rudong H2# offshore wind power plant includes 70 sets of 5-megawatt wind turbines costing a total of 6.4 billion yuan and a total installed capacity of up to 350 MW. The first set of turbines will be put into use by the end of this year, while the remainders are expected to begin operating in 2021.

The plant will reduce coal usage by 290,000 metric tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 596,000 tons, as well as save 25.91 million cubic meters of fresh water every year.

The Yangtze Three Gorges Rudong offshore wind power plant, with an installed capacity of 800 MW, is the first of its kind in China to adopt 400-kilovolt flexible high voltage direct current. The project, carrying a price tag of 14.3 billion yuan, can provide 2.4 billion kilowatt hours of power per year, meeting the needs of nearly 1 million households.

Tang added that the annual energy output will exceed 13.5 billion kWh after all the wind power plants are put into operation. The first wind power plant to obtain a national permit was constructed in Rudong in 2002, and the county has now developed itself into a center of green energy.

To date, the total installed capacity of the established new energy projects in the county has reached 2.35 million kW, including 2 million kW produced by wind power plants. The county's taxable sales revenue involving new energy and relevant equipment was 60 billion yuan in 2019.

Offshore wind power plant in Rudong county, Nantong [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]