The first batch of units of the Longyuan Power Hainan Qiyuan Offshore Wind Power Project have officially been connected to the grid and begun generating electricity, marking a new breakthrough in large-scale operation of high-capacity offshore wind turbines in China, the China Energy Investment Corporation Co., Ltd. (CHN Energy) said on Sunday.

The Qiyuan offshore wind farm is located in the western sea area of Dongfang City, Hainan Province. It lies approximately 12 kilometers from the coast, with water depths ranging between 12 and 26.5 meters, and covers a total area of nearly 27.24 square kilometers.

The project is designed to install 22 wind turbines with a capacity of 10 megawatts each and 20 wind turbines with a capacity of 14 megawatts each, bringing the total installed capacity to 500 megawatts.

The first batch of turbines now in operation has a capacity of 50 megawatts and is expected to generate 150 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. These massive white turbines, turning steadily in the sea breeze, are continuously converting offshore wind energy into green electricity.

"After its full operation, the Qiyuan offshore wind farm is expected to generate more than 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which can meet the power demand of approximately 1.2 million three-person households in Hainan. This is equivalent to reducing standard coal consumption by about 467,000 tonnes and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.271 million tonnes per year. The project will strongly support the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port and the Clean Energy Island, and will provide valuable experience for the future installation and large-scale operation of high-capacity wind turbine units in China," said Liu Dan, supervisor of the Longyuan Power Qiyuan Offshore Wind Farm under China Energy Investment Corporation.