Offshore Wind China 2012 Opens Today

The Offshore Wind China 2012 Conference and Exhibition, Asia’s largest and the world’s second largest wind power event, will take place in Shanghai between 30 May and 1 June 2012, with the aim of promoting offshore wind power development not only locally in the Shanghai area but also worldwide.

The exhibition session will take place at Shanghai New International Expo Center, while the meeting session will be held at Shangri-La’s Kerry Hotel Pudong. The sector’s leading companies both from within and outside of China will take part in this largest ever event.

The event is jointly organized by the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Committee, China National Renewable Energy Centre and Shanghai International Exhibition Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai). Sinovel Wind Group Co., Ltd. is the sponsor.

China plans to boost the advancement of offshore wind power technologies and related equipment through the construction of a series of demonstration projects, paving the way for the sound development of offshore wind power facilities, according to the country’s wind power development plans for the next five years. With a primary focus on development of projects in Hebei, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, the country also aims to speed up offshore wind power development along the coasts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces as well as in Shanghai. By 2015, facilities with installed capacity of 5 million KW are scheduled to be put into operation, while additional projects with installed capacity of 5 million KW will be under construction, creating a comprehensive array of offshore wind power technologies and a bottom-up industry chain. With mass production of offshore wind power equipment, together with state-of-art technologies, China’s part of the sector is expected to become one of leading offshore wind power markets worldwide in the years following 2015. The country’s installed capacity is expected to reach 30 million KW by 2020, at which point, based on projections, China will become the world’s largest offshore wind power market. With a focus on offshore wind power development, Shanghai will speed up the construction of large wind power bases, according to plans already laid out for the 2011-2015 period. Shanghai will witness the completion of offshore facilities in Donghai Bridge, Lingang and Fengxian by 2015, while onshore ones in Chongming, Changxing and Laogang will be expanded. At the time, the city’s installed wind power capacity is forecast to reach an estimated 1 million KW.

Li Junfeng, Director of the National Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation Center and Chairman of the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization, said in an interview that China will enhance its efforts at improving the country’s energy mix, ensuring energy security and providing a solution in response to climate change, while enhancing wind power development. He added that China’s offshore wind power development is entering a critical period therefore one cannot just sit on one’s hands and engage in idle talk. It behooves the country to develop practical solutions that take in account the environmental, political and business concerns, come up with a coordinated approach to dealing with those concerns and then act on that approach. To promote the development of the sector, the Offshore Wind China 2012 Conference and Exhibition will provide an in-depth analysis of the status, challenges and solutions concerning both domestic and foreign wind power development from the perspectives of complete offshore installations, delivery to and installation of equipment to offshore locations, operation and maintenance as well as grid connection and energy conservation, proving an ideal platform for information exchange and cooperation and for the healthy development of China’s offshore wind power sector.

 Event Highlights:

Highlight 1: Participation by Leading Wind Power Firms From Around the World

The world’s major offshore wind turbine manufacturers and supporting facility providers across the offshore wind power ecosystem will be in attendance, including Sinovel, Vestas, Guodian United Power, Shanghai Electric, Siemens, HE-GE Wind Energy, China Ming Yang Wind Power, Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing, CSIC Haizhuang Windpower Equipment, Gamesa and Shandong Changxing Group.

The event will feature over 95 guest speakers from the National Energy Administration, State Oceanic Administration, regional bureaus of the National Development and Reform Commission, developers, research institutions, training organizations and market-leading companies, all of whom will discuss and share technical know-how concerning the manufacturing, engineering and design, construction and installation as well operation and maintenance of wind power facilities. Fifteen sessions, including a panel discussion among several wind power project developers, and special sessions on learning from existing domestic and foreign offshore wind farms, complete wind power facilities, operation and maintenance, turbine blades and the materials used to construct them, construction of offshore units, bearings and gears, dealing with corrosion at offshore facilities, certification, power transmission and distribution, and investment and financing, will be held during the event to promote and examine offshore wind power development, technical advancement, engineering and technical skills required across the wind power industry chain and the overall competitiveness of the offshore wind sector. The event is expected to attract over 600 registered visitors, more than 40 percent of which will be from aboard.

 Highlight 2: Strong Support from the Chinese Government

The National Energy Administration and the State Oceanic Administration of China will head up the efforts of several local government agencies, including the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Shanghai Economic and Information Technology Commission, the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, the Jiangsu Provincial Energy Bureau, the Zhejiang Provincial Energy Bureau, the Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Zhejiang Economic and Information Technology Commission, to support the event.

 Highlight 3: International Agencies and Organizations Make Their Contribution

Organizations in countries whose offshore wind power industries are already well established, including the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Holland Home of Wind Energy (HHWE), the Danish Export Association, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), Scottish Development International, the Delegation of German Industry & Commerce and the Consulate General of the United States Shanghai, China, will organize national delegations to participate in the exhibition. More than 40 percent of the exhibitors will be from abroad.

 Highlight 4: Further Enhancing the Event’s Function as a Trading Platform

Four of the world’s leading wind turbine producers, Sinovel, Vestas, Shanghai Electric and Harbin Electric GE Wind Power (Jiangsu), will send special procurement teams to organize a Trade Fair for Exhibitors of Complete Wind Turbines and Spare Parts at the exhibition, to further promote the event’s role as a trading platform.

[mappress]

Offshore WIND staff, May 30, 2012; Image: offshorewindchina