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China launches 16-megawatt floating wind turbine to power offshore oil rigs
The CNOOC unit is designed to generate about 54 million kilowatt-hours per year, cutting roughly 35,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually while supplying power via subsea cables to the Lufeng oilfield cluster.
China’s CNOOC has launched what it says is the world’s first 16-megawatt tension-leg platform floating offshore wind turbine, a project aimed at supplying power to offshore oil extraction operations.
The turbine, shipped from Zhuhai in Guangdong province at the end of June, uses tensioned anchor cables to hold the structure in place. The platform is about 307 meters tall, weighs up to 8,000 tonnes, and is expected to generate an average of 54 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
According to OilPrice, the project would cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 35,000 tonnes per year. The clean electricity is routed via subsea cables directly to the Lufeng oilfield cluster, and the article says it can also reduce fuel oil use by about 15,000 cubic meters annually compared with power needed to keep Lufeng pumps running.