Construction of China’s largest offshore solar farm officially commenced in Lianyungang city, Jiangsu Province East China, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said it is on another step in the country’s step-by-step green transformation in pursuit of carbon neutrality before 2060.
Construction cost
The 9.88 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) kilowatt photovoltaic (PV) demonstration farm is expected save about 680,000 tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions every year. 7. 7 mt/y on average, as stated by the CNNC.
Analyst pointed out that there will be more offshore solar power stations generated for enhancing the generation of clean and renewable energy to meet the developmental demands of the coastline provinces in the country.
The project is three-dimensional stacking solar sea-based large-scale solar project constructed by CNNC which is one of the largest nuclear power operators in the country and has an approved sea area of about 28,000 mu (1,868 hectare).
Location
The project is situated in the Warm sea Water Area which is allocated for Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in Lianyungang for warm water discharge of the nuclear power plant, one area of the water is used while another area for offshore PV is designated next to it. This design shows synergy in utilizing marine resources.
The 2-million kilowatt tidal flat PV project is respectively connected to the seashore and to the onshore. And solar power generation in the offshore sectio is transmitted through an overhead corridor bridge to the step-up substation onshore and then connected to the state grid after voltage regulation.
Completion date
The onshore energy storage is in its final construction stages and is expected to be completed and operational by end of June.
The CNNC says the project will be connected to the state grid in September 2024 and will take until 2025 to get up to full capacity.
It is expected to produce an average of 234 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually over its 25 years of operation period. : 234 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity is enough to support the production and consumption for 230,000 people for an year.
The project also plays an important role in promoting offshore solar power generation in the future, said Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, in an interview with the Global Times on Sunday.
By Lin Hsiang-Chieh’s account, another strength of the project is its closeness to the market where electricity demand is high.
”With southeastern coastal areas being amongst some of the most rapidly developing regions and higher electricity consumption within China; the offshore potential for solar farms still remains high,” Lin added.
The expert explained that this is not because there is a high demand for solar power but because a persistent reliance on coal for power is mostly fuel-fed by insufficient contributions of new-energy sources such as solar. ”.
China – According to official statistics newly installed PV capacity in 2023 was 216. 88 GW/year in total, or an annual growth of 148%. 1 percent for the mainland – China Photovoltaic Industry Association – and hence more growth in the demand for clean and renewable energies.
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