World’s Largest Offshore Converter Station sets Sail for Guangdong Wind Farm

Xinhua News Agency confirms that Hai Feng Zhi Xin, the world’s largest offshore flexible DC converter station, departed from Zhenhua Terminal in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, on May 27. The mega marine energy infrastructure is heading for Yangjiang in Guangdong Province, marking China’s entry into a new era of ultra-high voltage DC transmission for offshore wind power.

As the world’s first ±500kV and 2000MW-class offshore flexible DC converter station, the facility boasts unmatched voltage level and power transmission capacity globally. With a length of 85.5 metres, width of 82.5 metres and height of 44 metres, its floor area equals a standard football pitch, while its height is comparable to a 15-storey residential building. The entire structure weighs approximately 25,000 tonnes, serving as the core energy hub for large-scale offshore wind clusters.

Functioning as the “heart” of offshore wind farms, the converter station transforms 66kV alternating current generated by offshore wind turbines into stable ±500kV high-voltage direct current. It delivers around 6 billion kilowatt-hours of clean power annually to onshore load centres with remarkably high efficiency. Flexible DC transmission technology cuts power transmission losses by 60 percent compared with conventional AC transmission, greatly improving the utilisation rate of new energy power.

The project adopts a domestically pioneered intensive power transmission system. Compact integrated design enables massive precision equipment covering electrical systems, ventilation and fire protection to be installed within limited space and weight constraints. The station centralises power output from 163 wind turbines across two offshore wind farms, completing voltage boosting and current conversion in one process. The innovative design effectively reduces overall project costs and saves coastal marine resources.

The converter station will undertake a 1,090-nautical-mile voyage lasting around one week before arriving at the Qingzhou Phase V and VII offshore wind farm in Yangjiang. Upon arrival, construction teams will deploy the float-over installation method to complete offshore docking and commissioning.

The successful delivery and upcoming operation of this landmark facility provides mature technical references for the large-scale development of deep-sea offshore wind resources. It further consolidates China’s leading position in global offshore wind power equipment manufacturing and ultra-high voltage new energy transmission technologies.