Offshore wind power is gradually developing from offshore to deep and far sea. Floating offshore wind power, which is more suitable for deep sea, has attracted more and more attention. The financial Associated Press reporter learned that relevant enterprises are accelerating the pace of R & D and increasing relevant technical reserves. China’s wind power enterprises have complete industrial chain and strong cost reduction ability. They are expected to compete for the leading power of the global floating offshore wind power industry in the future.
Qi Hesheng, Secretary General of wind machinery branch of wind energy equipment branch of China Agricultural Machinery Industry Association, told the financial associated press that floating offshore wind power is an inevitable choice for offshore wind power to go deep and far into the sea Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited(601615) ( Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited(601615) . SH), CNOOC, China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co.Ltd(600905) ( China Three Gorges Renewables (Group) Co.Ltd(600905) . SH), Xinjiang Goldwind Science And Technology Co.Ltd(002202) ( Xinjiang Goldwind Science And Technology Co.Ltd(002202) . SZ), vision energy and Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited(601727) ( Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited(601727) . SH) and other leading companies have relevant technical reserves. However, at present, overseas floating offshore wind power has made rapid progress and has begun to commercialize, while China still needs some time to accumulate.
floating offshore wind power becomes a “required option”
Recently, France announced that it would build two floating offshore wind farms with a total installed capacity of 500000 kW along the Mediterranean coast. This is the first time that France has proposed the construction plan of floating offshore wind farm.
According to the statistics of the Global Wind Energy Council, in addition to France, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries have launched floating offshore wind power bidding plans.
According to public information, the world’s first floating offshore wind power prototype was put into operation in 2009, and the launch speed of the prototype has accelerated in recent years. In 2009, equinor, the Norwegian national oil company, took the lead in the measurement project of the world’s first offshore floating fan prototype. After that, Portugal, Japan, France, Spain, South Korea, China and other countries have also launched floating prototypes, and the launch speed of floating prototypes has accelerated significantly recently.
Due to the rapid changes in the development environment of floating offshore wind power technology, industrialization and policy, the development prospect of floating offshore wind power is becoming more and more optimistic. In 2020, the Global Wind Energy Association (GWEC) predicts that the cumulative installed capacity of global floating sea breeze will reach 6.5gw by 2030; By 2021, combined with the latest developments in the industry, GWEC has raised the cumulative installed capacity of global floating sea breeze in 203 to 16.5gw According to GWEC’s prediction, from 2026, floating offshore wind power will enter the commercialization stage with new installed capacity reaching GW level, and Europe, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States will dominate the global floating offshore wind power market.
Qi Hesheng told the financial associated press that floating offshore wind power is a necessary option, and relevant technologies abroad start higher and develop faster than China. “This is related to the resource endowments of various countries. There are relatively few shallow water areas in foreign countries. For example, there are few shallow water areas in Japan, so the power to develop floating wind power is more sufficient. With the development of shallow water resources in China, floating wind power is bound to come into use,” he said
According to the data released by the energy department of the World Bank Group, the technical development potential of offshore wind power in the waters within 200km and 1000m deep in China is 2982gw, including 1400gw fixed and 1582gw floating
According to the prediction of COSCO, by 2025, China’s floating offshore wind power may reach a relatively competitive cost level, and the investment cost is expected to drop to about 20000 yuan / kW. It is expected to drop to a level equivalent to fixed offshore wind power around 2030, reaching 10 Yihua Healthcare Co.Ltd(000150) 00 yuan / kW.
A wind power researcher at a securities firm in Beijing told the financial associated press that when offshore wind power is moving towards a far-reaching sea, the traditional offshore wind power with fixed foundation faces more technical and economic challenges. From the current technology, the water depth of 60m is a critical point.
According to public information, China’s offshore wind power development has been expanded to areas with a water depth of more than 40 meters. At present, the newly-built offshore wind power projects in Guangdong are mainly concentrated in the offshore of Yangjiang. The development of offshore wind power in Yangjiang has extended from offshore shallow water area to offshore deep water area, and the average water depth of projects under construction is basically more than 40 meters. In the Jiangsu market, the central offshore distance of some offshore wind power project sites in Sheyang and Dafeng is more than 60km, which is significantly higher than that of the built conventional projects, and the offshore often corresponds to the deepwater.
Chinese enterprises speed up R & D
At present, the cost of floating offshore wind power is high. The report released by DNV, an industry research institution, shows that the average kwh cost of the built floating offshore wind farm is more than three times higher than that of the traditional fixed offshore wind power. DNV said that the cost reduction of floating offshore wind power can be achieved by expanding wind farms and reducing the manufacturing cost of wind turbines. With technological progress and supply chain optimization, the construction cost of floating offshore wind power is expected to decrease significantly. The cost of offshore fixed wind power projects is expected to be the same as that of traditional floating wind power projects by 2030.
Insiders told the financial associated press that China’s wind power enterprises have complete industrial chain and strong cost reduction ability. In the cost control war of floating offshore wind power, they are expected to catch up and compete for the leading power of the global floating offshore wind power industry.
Qi Hesheng said that China haizhuang first tried the floating offshore wind power demonstration project, but at present, foreign countries have begun commercialization, and China’s commercialization is still early. “Many leading enterprises have corresponding technical strength.”
Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited(601615) said in the semi annual report of 2021 that new products such as floating fans independently developed and manufactured by the company have met the conditions for large-scale commercial use. On July 13, 2021, the world’s first anti typhoon floating offshore wind turbine unit independently developed and manufactured by Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited(601615) was successfully installed in the Three Gorges Yangjiang Shaba offshore wind farm, with a unit capacity of 5.5MW The financial Associated Press reporter contacted the Securities Department of the company as an investor. Its staff said that the company will continue to increase the pace of research on floating offshore wind power, launch new models and enrich technical reserves. “There will be further action this year.”
Ningbo Orient Wires & Cables Co.Ltd(603606) is the submarine cable supplier of Yangjiang floating wind power project of the Three Gorges Project. The relevant person in charge of the company told the financial associated press that the submarine cable technology required by the floating wind power project is relatively high, and the company has relevant technical reserves Zhejiang Windey Co.Ltd(300772) Securities Department staff also told the associated press that floating offshore wind power is an important technical direction in the future, and the company has made certain R & D investment in it. “At the same time, the company is also making technical reserves in other directions.”
Ping An Securities Research Report believes that the floating offshore wind power has large cost reduction space, and the commercial development can be expected. The core manufacturing links of floating offshore wind power include wind turbine, floating foundation, mooring system and dynamic submarine cable. The latter three are significantly different from the traditional fixed offshore wind power. With the gradual rise of floating offshore wind power, the relevant enterprises in these links are expected to usher in great development opportunities.
