The installation of the first turbine for the Jiangsu Qidong Huawei offshore wind power plant is completed on Feb 2. [Photo/WeChat account: qdrmt0513]

The installation of the first turbine for the new Jiangsu Qidong Huawei offshore wind power plant was completed on Feb 2 – off the coastal city of Qidong, administered by Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province – marking great progress made by the project.

When complete, the offshore wind park will have the most varieties of wind turbines in China, with a total capacity of over 800 megawatts. It is the first offshore wind power plant in Qidong.

Being located offshore posed geological challenges, with the contractors having a relatively short window of opportunity for completing the various tasks.

During the past few days, sea conditions in the construction area have been fluctuating significantly. Gales and swells have had a great impact on site operations while in addition, frequent rain and foggy weather narrowed the construction window.

With poor conditions, tightly booked vessels and equipment and the challenges posed by the novel coronavirus epidemic, the project team made full preparations for the installation of the first wind turbine well in advance.

During the construction period, the onshore and offshore command centers cooperated closely with each other, flexibly adjusting working procedures to overcome the impact brought about by the epidemic to perform the tasks successfully.

After completion, the offshore wind power plant is expected to generate 2.2 billion kilowatt hours annually. Compared with traditional land-based coal power stations, 730,000 tons of standard coal will be saved, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.6 million tons a year, with distinct benefits in terms of economic and social developments, as well as the environment.