China Installs ‘World’s First’ 20MW Offshore Wind Turbine
January 15, 2026
A 20 MW offshore wind turbine, jointly designed and built by China Three Gorges (CTG) and Goldwind, has been installed in the southern Fujian in China as part of a research project, setting a world record for the highest-rated offshore wind turbine to be installed at sea.
The turbine was installed in the Minnan offshore area, more than 30 kilometers from shore in waters exceeding 40 meters in depth. It is the first 20 MW offshore wind turbine developed in China to be installed at sea, highlighting advances in large-capacity turbine design, manufacturing and offshore installation.
The turbine has a hub height of 174 meters, roughly equivalent to a 58-story building. Each blade measures 147 meters in length, with a rotor diameter of 300 meters and a swept area comparable to 10 standard football fields.
The installation follows the deployment of the world’s first 16 MW offshore wind turbine in Fujian’s Pingtan waters in 2023 and represents a further step forward in China’s push to scale up offshore wind capacity while reducing unit costs and sea-area usage.
The 20 MW turbine forms part of China’s National Key Research and Development Program for renewable energy technologies and has been selected as a fifth-batch ‘first-of-a-kind’ major technical equipment project by the National Energy Administration. The project was jointly designed, manufactured and demonstrated by CTG and Goldwind under the guidance of national and provincial authorities.
The project achieved full supply-chain autonomy and complete domestic localization of key components, according to information released. Technical advances include a lightweight design, with total turbine weight of less than 40 tonnes per MW, more than 20% below the industry average, as well as integrated intelligent monitoring systems and high-efficiency aerodynamic performance.
“The offshore installation and operation of the 20-MW turbine will drive comprehensive upgrades across the entire offshore wind industry chain — from design and manufacturing to installation.
“It will further consolidate China’s global leadership in the R&D, manufacturing, and application of large-capacity offshore wind turbines,” said Jiang Guangqiu, deputy general manager of CTG's Fujian branch and director of the Fujian Offshore Wind Efficient Development and Utilization Engineering Research Center.
Once connected to the grid, the turbine is expected to generate more than 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to supply around 44,000 households. It is also expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 64,000 tonnes per year and reduce standard coal consumption by roughly 24,000 tonnes.
The turbine will also serve as a test platform for future ultra-large offshore wind units, providing operational data to support the design, installation and standardization of next-generation offshore wind turbines.
