China Delivers Largest Monopiles

The first two of a total 500 offshore wind turbine foundations have been designed and fabricated for SPIC Guangdong Offshore Wind Power’s project in China’s Guangdong province.

The monopiles, designed by Ramboll, are said to be the largest in the world – weighing 1,600 tonnes each, compared to the current record of 1,300 tonnes.

They also set the record with being installed at the greatest water depth seen for wind turbines in China so far – 37 metres.

The offshore wind farms will be located near the Chinese cities Shenzhen and Jieyang.

The first two monopiles were designed and fabricated at record-breaking speed, said Ramboll. The demand for speed was one of the reasons why Danish engineering consultancy was chosen as SPIC’s lead designer, the company noted.

“Ramboll completed the design of the two monopiles super-fast so that the design and fabrication took less than 5 months, which is 2-3 times faster than usual. Our comprehensive experience from the design of offshore wind farms in Europe and our in-house design programme enabled us to do it so quickly,” says Ramboll global market director Søren Juel Petersen.

In the Guangdong project Ramboll has provided consultancy on geotechnical and met ocean investigations and has applied ROSAP to calculate how the turbines, earthquakes, waves, current and tide will impact the structures and how they will react to typhons.