On December 23, as the barge slowly departed from the dock, the jackets for the Inch Cape European Offshore Wind Power Project, constructed by Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. (COOEC), were shipped for the first time from COOEC Zhuhai Deepwater Equipment Manufacturing Base. These jackets are the largest single-unit capacity offshore wind turbine jackets manufactured in China for Europe, marking that China’s core construction capacity for offshore wind power products has reached an internationally advanced level.
The Inch Cape European Offshore Wind Power Project is located in the North Sea area of Scotland, jointly developed and constructed by Red Rock Energy (UK) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SDIC Power Holdings Co., Ltd., and an Irish utility company. Upon full commissioning, the project will be able to supply electricity to more than half of Scottish households simultaneously. The Zhuhai manufacturing base is responsible for the construction of 18 jackets with matching steel piles and 24 monopile transition pieces, with the total structural weight of the products exceeding 60,000 tonnes.
The foundation structures delivered in this shipment include 3 jackets and 11 monopile transition pieces. Each jacket stands 95.19 meters high with a total weight of approximately 6,400 tonnes; each monopile transition piece is 31.73 meters high with a total weight of about 7,450 tonnes, a maximum diameter of 8.31 meters and a cylinder wall thickness of up to 125 millimeters.
According to Luo Jianmin, Deputy Project Manager of COOEC Zhuhai Manufacturing Base, the project team has led domestic scientific research institutions to form a technological research consortium. It independently developed high-strength steel welding technology and conducted welding qualification tests for low-temperature impact at minus 50 degrees Celsius. The team has achieved 100% localized construction of the core structures, filling the domestic technological gap in this field.
Moving forward, the project team will efficiently advance the subsequent construction and delivery of equipment, complete the project construction with better quality and higher efficiency, and continue to polish the reputation of “Made in China” in the international marine engineering sector.