The second round of concession bidding is the weather vane of China’s offshore wind power sector, says Gong Xuecheng, a project manager with Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd.
China’s offshore wind farm development ties very closely with their government policies. Upon the completion of the first round of developing offshore wind farms at coastal provinces including Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang etc., the second concession bidding started early in 2011.
“The rate for integrating power into the grid from the first round of concession bidding was unexpectedly low; which means that this second round of concession bidding is crucial for the healthy development of the offshore wind power sector.” He says, in response to being asked on how the current ongoing second round of concession bidding impacts the industry.
The global wind energy has been developing very rapidly in the past decade. Asian countries, especially China, have been embracing the opportunities and challenges presented in this sector. The biggest drivers are the requirements to provide cost effective, sustainable renewable energy. However the major challenges are to de-risk the large investments required for large offshore development projects. Professor Feargal Brennan Professor, Offshore Engineering from Cranfield University also shares his view on how Asian countries and China can play active roles in the global development of wind energy.
Both Gong Xuecheng and Feargal Brennan will be speaking at Offshore Wind Power Development Asia 2012.
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Offshore WIND staff, January 17, 2012