The world’s largest offshore converter station has been installed at the Jiangsu Rudong offshore wind farm in China’s Yellow Sea.
The Three Gorges Rudong converter station is the first offshore ±400 kV wind power flexible DC transmission project in China.
The station will be used to collect 1,100 MW of electric energy from three wind farms -H6, H8, H10 – in the Jiangsu Rudong project being developed by China Three Gorges.
The station will then convert the electricity into DC power and transmit it onshore over a distance of around 100 kilometres, the longest transmission length in China, via a submarine cable.
When the project is in full operation it will be able to provide around 1.36 million households with their annual electricity needs.
The converter station weighs 22,000 tons and is as tall as a 15-storey residential building.
Due to the weight of the unit, China Three Gorges utilised a floating tow installation method, using the ships’ ballast and natural tides during the process.
China Classification Society (CCS) provided authentication and survey services for the converter station. CCS’ team has been involved throughout the design, construction, transportation, installation, and commissioning stages of the project.
The Rudong offshore wind farm comprises three areas: the 300 MW H8, the 400 MW H6, and the 400 MW H10.
Back in June, China Three Gorges Renewables completed the installation of the 100 single-pile foundations at the H6 phase.
The 100 4 MW turbines at H6 are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2021.
Once fully commissioned, the 1.1 GW Rudong offshore wind farm will produce 2.4 billion kWh annually, according to China Three Gorges.