ABB Power Products Protect China's First Offshore Wind Farms
Zurich, Switzerland, January 27, 2010 -- China is committed to produce at least 100 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2020. The first two installations in what is probably the world's largest clean energy project - the 102 megawatt (MW) Donghai Bridge and the 201 MW Jiangsu Xiangshui - are nearing completion. All 168 turbines will be equipped with ABB power products.
The two wind farms are the first of what is expected to be a surge of offshore wind parks as China begins to utilize its vast offshore wind resources and work towards achieving its target of 15 percent renewable power in its energy mix by 2020.
With a 14,500-kilometer coastline and most of its population centers and manufacturing zones clustered along the seaboard, China has a huge potential and ready market for converting offshore wind into emission-free energy.
Jiangsu province in particular, which lies north of Shanghai, has been designated by the government as the country's main offshore wind power location, and it is here - in both Jiangsu and Shanghai - that the country's first two installations are located.
The 102 MW Shanghai Donghai Bridge will consist of 34 turbines, each with a rated output of 3 MW; and the Jiangsu Xiangshui project will comprise 134 1.5-MW turbines.
All 168 turbines at the two parks will be equipped with ABB power products - the only products to pass all the requirements of the turbine manufacturer, Shanghai Electric Wind (SEWIND), one of China's largest wind turbine manufacturers.
Both parks are scheduled to be fully operational by 2010 and 2011 respectively.
The products comprise a complete and integrated ring main unit (RMU) and switchgear solution, which is critical to the protection of the turbine electrical systems, and which ABB has customized to the needs of China's burgeoning offshore wind power market.
Based on ABB's SafeRing / SafePlus gas-insulated RMU and switchgear technology, the solution is half the size of conventional alternatives. Its compact footprint and robust design enables it to be installed in the turbine tower and to withstand the corrosive effects of the harsh offshore environment without scheduled maintenance.
ABB's SafeRing / SafePlus concept builds on 25 years of product evolution to offer unmatched reliability, safety and low environmental impact (it is 98-percent recyclable.)
Delivered as a completely sealed system with a stainless steel tank containing all the live parts and the switching equipment, the solution excels in reliability, safety and a long maintenance-free operating life - a key factor in offshore locations where maintenance visits are time-consuming and costly.
Crucially, ABB was also the only supplier able to provide a solution at the comparatively unusual rating of 40.5 kV.
SEWIND recently added other ABB power products to its offshore projects by selecting ABB distribution transformers for each of the 134 turbines at Jiangsu Xiangshui.
ABB is the world's leading supplier of electrical products, systems and solutions for the wind power industry.
Notable solutions include the world's largest and most remote offshore wind park - the 400 MW BorWin1 in the North Sea, for which ABB supplied its HVDC Light® technology to connect the park to the onshore German power grid.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people.
