A gust of sea wind that can light tens of thousands of households - this is becoming a reality in some of China's coastal areas.
Some 10 kilometers off the coast of Xiangshui County, a series of wind turbines with fan blades longer than 60 meters are being installed. Here is the Jiangsu Xiangshui Offshore 200 MW Wind Farm Demonstration Project, China's first wind power project that transmits power to onshore areas via an offshore transformer substation.

As a coastal county located at the intersection of Lianyungang, Huai'an and Yancheng in northeastern Jiangsu Province, Xiangshui boasts abundant offshore wind resources. With a total installed capacity of 201 MW, the Xiangshui Offshore Wind Farm will be equipped with 37 sets of 4 MW wind turbines and 18 sets of 3 MW wind turbines. The first phase of 50 MW wind turbines will be installed and brought into operation by the end of 2015.

The Xiangshui Offshore Wind Farm will feature China's first offshore substation equipped with ABB's full range of power equipment in a relay station that delivers wind power to onshore transformer stations. The system will decrease the power loss caused by long-distance transmission and improve the transmission capability. The voltage created by wind turbines will be boosted from 35 kV to 220 kV, then transmitted onshore via undersea AC cables, constantly delivering clean wind power to the grid of Northern Jiangsu.

According to the agreement with China Three Gorges New Energy Corp. signed earlier this year, ABB will provide the Xiangshui Offshore Wind Farm's 220 kV offshore substation with primary electric equipments, including 220 kV power transformers, medium-high voltage SF6 gas insulated switchgears, and 220 kV cable terminal and auxiliary systems. The project will increase the wind farm's utilization of clean energy and play a key role in Jiangsu's "Offshore Three Gorges" wind power development plan.

Xiangshui Offshore Wind Farm is the epitome of China's efforts to develop wind power in recent years. As of 2014, China's total on-grid wind power installed capacity reached 96.37 GW, accounting for 27% of wind power installed capacity worldwide and making China the world's largest wind power market, according to figures from China's National Energy Administration.

As a leading supplier of wind power products and application systems, ABB has participated in many large-scale wind projects in China over the past few years. ABB supplied 267 converters to Xiangyang Wind Farm in Jilin Province, one of the largest onshore wind farms in China, generating enough clean energy to power 300,000 households. The company also provided advanced 40.5 kV gas-insulated switchgears for the Donghai Bridge Offshore Wind Farm, China's first offshore wind farm. Furthermore, ABB delivered generators, box-type substations with distribution transformers, and ring main units to the Jiangsu Rudong Wind Farm, which is China's first intertidal wind project.

ABB is a Global 500 company and a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people. ABB has a full range of business activities in China, including R&D, manufacturing, sales and services, with 19,000 employees, 39 local companies, and an extensive sales and service network across 109 cities.