China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) connected the first five turbines at its Qingzhou V and VII offshore wind projects to the grid on 27 September 2026, marking the first grid connection at the 2 GW development in Guangdong Province, China.
The Qingzhou V and VII offshore wind projects are located off Yangxi County in Yangjiang, approximately 70 km from shore in water depths exceeding 50 m. The two wind farms comprise 163 turbines with a combined installed capacity of 2 GW.
The first turbines were connected through the project’s ±500 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system, which has also entered operation. According to CTG, the system has the highest voltage rating and largest transmission capacity among offshore wind flexible HVDC transmission facilities.
Electricity generated by the turbines is collected through 66 kV subsea cables and delivered to the offshore converter station, known as Hai Feng Zhi Xin, or Heart of Offshore Wind. The station increases the voltage and converts the electricity into direct current before transmitting it to an onshore control centre through ±500 kV subsea HVDC cables.
The transmission system is designed to handle the combined output of both wind farms. CTG also reported a substantial increase in the use of domestically produced equipment across the project, including foundations, wind turbines, subsea cables and electrical systems.
Gu Pengcheng, an engineer at CTG’s Yangjiang company in Guangdong, said the project team had completed turbine commissioning, subsea cable installation, integrated system testing and grid connection despite difficult offshore conditions, including strong winds, heavy seas, salt spray and frequent typhoons.
Once fully operational, Qingzhou V and VII are expected to deliver approximately 6 billion kWh of electricity annually to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. CTG estimates that the projects will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 5 million tonnes per year.
Following the initial grid connection, the project team will continue commissioning the remaining turbines to achieve full-capacity operation.
