First Large Windfarm in Hainan Province Could Begin Operation by Year's End

Huaneng Hainan Power Generation Company Limited (Haikou, Hainan) has begun tests on the first batch of 11 wind turbines as part of Phase I of the Huaneng Wenchang wind power project in southern China's Hainan province, according to Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, TX). The second batch of turbines is expected to be set up by the end of the month. The entire project could begin commercial by the end of the year, the company said.

The project is the largest windfarm in Hainan and is also considered an important part of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan for the province. The project has a total planned capacity of 120 megawatts (MW) with an estimated cost of $190 million. Phase I will have 33 1.5-MW wind turbines with a planned construction period of one year. Construction on the project began in February. Despite several natural disasters in China and inclement weather in the area, the project has been moving forward as scheduled. So far, the roof has been placed on the centralized control building, the electric equipment has been installed, and the foundations for all 33 wind turbines have been completed. Overall, the project is about 60 percent complete.

Based on an annual utilization rate of 2,087 hours, the windfarm could sell about 103 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year to the grid. Compared with coal-fired power plants of similar size, the windfarm could save 35,100 metric tons of standard coal, reduce sulfur-dioxide emissions by about 679 tons and cut carbon dioxide about 76,500 tons every year.