China Three Gorges Links First Qingzhou V and VII Wind Turbines to Grid
September 30, 2026
China Three Gorges Corporation has connected the first batch of turbines at its Yangjiang Qingzhou V and VII offshore wind project to the grid, enabling the transfer of clean power from the site located offshore Guangdong Province.
The connection is using a ±500 kV direct-current transmission system to carry power from around 70 kilometers offshore mainland China.
The project comprises 163 turbines, each rated at more than 12 MW, giving the development a combined capacity of more than 1.95 GW.
Power from the turbines is collected through 30 circuits of 66 kV subsea array cables and transmitted to the offshore converter station, where it is stepped up and converted from 66 kV alternating current to ±500 kV direct current for transmission to shore.
The system uses two DC subsea cables forming a single transmission circuit capable of carrying up to 2 million kWh of electricity per hour.
China Three Gorges described the project as the world's first integrated offshore wind flexible DC transmission project and said its transmission system has the world's highest voltage level and largest transmission capacity of its type. It also uses what the company described as the world's first ±500 kV DC submarine cable for offshore wind.
The offshore converter station, known as the ‘Heart of the Sea Wind’, weighs 25,000 tonnes and was installed using a float-over method because its weight exceeded the lifting capacity of domestic marine crane vessels.
Installation of the project's first turbine began in May 2025, with all 163 turbines installed within 14 months. At peak construction, 11 large vessels were operating simultaneously, while as many as 23 turbines rated at 12 MW or above were installed in a single month.
The array network also includes the Three Gorges Lead, a 16 MW floating offshore wind platform connected through a domestically produced 66 kV dynamic subsea cable.
The ±500 kV DC subsea cables underwent withstand-voltage testing before grid connection, with both cables passing at the required voltage levels and their electrical parameters meeting specifications.
