On October 1, 2025, the “Three Gorges Linghang Hao,” the world’s first 16-megawatt floating offshore wind power complete system demonstration application project jointly developed by Goldwind Technology and China Three Gorges Corporation, successfully completed integrated assembly in Beihai, Guangxi.
This is the floating offshore wind power system equipment with the largest installed unit capacity globally. It is also the first floating wind power facility in China to be classed by the China Classification Society (CCS), setting multiple global records, including the largest unit capacity and the largest rotor diameter for installed offshore floating units. With key components fully localized, it marks another step forward for China’s offshore wind power equipment manufacturing industry advancing into deeper waters.
The “Three Gorges Linghang Hao” was designed and constructed based on the Three Gorges Yangjiang Qingzhou Project. Its core equipment—the 16-megawatt ultra-large capacity wind turbine—has a rotor diameter of 252 meters and a swept area of approximately 50,000 square meters, equivalent to the area of seven standard football fields. Once operational, its annual power generation is about 44.65 million kilowatt-hours. This annual output can meet the annual residential electricity needs of over 24,000 three-person households.
This unit can effectively dilute the development costs of floating systems, save on the sea area required for project development, reduce engineering and operation and maintenance costs, and optimize the economic indicators of floating wind power. Through collaborative efforts between Goldwind, Three Gorges, and other industry chain partners, systematic simulation of the “turbine, floating foundation, and mooring system” was conducted, achieving “integrated design” of the floating unit and forming an “integrated control system” that coordinates the turbine and floater. This significantly reduces design redundancy, overcomes the challenge of load control for floating units, and explores a feasible path for the industrial application of large-scale floating wind power.
Furthermore, through intelligent and adaptive upgrades, this unit possesses strong “survival capabilities.” It utilizes RTK real-time dynamic positioning technology to achieve high-precision dynamic monitoring of the unit’s attitude, providing intelligent early warnings and decision support for personnel, enabling proactive maintenance, and enhancing the reliability of the floating unit. Addressing the vulnerability of offshore power grids, the unit can achieve a “black start” using its own generator, maintaining operation even when disconnected from the grid. The unit can operate stably in extreme environments as low as -20°C and has the capability to withstand super typhoons of up to Category 17, making it widely applicable in China’s southeastern coastal waters, countries along the Maritime Silk Road, and the seas of Europe and America.
It is understood that the project site for the “Three Gorges Linghang Hao” is located in the waters near Shaba Town, Yangxi County, Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province. The floating wind turbine is planned to be installed in the southeastern area of the Qingzhou VII offshore wind farm, approximately 75 kilometers from the shore, in water depths of no less than 50 meters. The project commenced construction on April 8 this year and is scheduled to complete handover and production acceptance before August 2026.
