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The offshore installation occupies around 1,223 hectares of shallow coastal waters.
China has commissioned the world’s largest open-sea offshore solar power plant, bringing a 1-gigawatt (GW) photovoltaic (PV) installation fully online off the coast of Dongying in Shandong province.
Developed by Guohua Investment, a unit of China Energy Investment Corp (CHN Energy), a state-owned energy firm, the offshore solar farm achieved full-capacity grid connection in late December 2025.
Located nearly 4.9 miles (eight kilometers) from shore the HG14 installation spans about 1,223 hectares of shallow coastal waters, with depths ranging from 3.2 to 13.1 feet (one to four meters).
The farm is the first gigawatt-scale fixed-pile offshore PV project ever completed. It features a total of 2,934 platforms anchored by offshore steel truss structures.
According to CHN Energy, the Dongying project‘s fixed-pile design is engineered to withstand waves, tides, strong winds and seasonal sea ice. It is supported by a total of 11,736 steel steel piles.
“This not only withstands a strong gale of force 11 and winter ice conditions but also reduces steel usage by over 10 percent, providing valuable experience for future offshore solar farm construction,” Zhang Bo, Guohua Energy Investment deputy manager of the Kenli project, said.
Each of its platforms measures about 196 feet (60 meters) in length and 114 feet (35 meters) in width. Additionally, the project marks the nation’s first use of a 66-kilovolt (kV) offshore cable. It is combined with an onshore cable for high-capacity, long-distance PV power transmission.
The massive farm uses more than 2.3 million high-power 710-watt (W) n-type bifacial solar panels mounted at a 15-degree tilt. Its offshore location improves performance, with cooler air and reflected sunlight increasing power generation.
“The structure features a ‘four-pile foundation plus solar platform’ design, with panels tilted at a precisely calibrated 15 degrees,” Bo explained.
According to project data, electricity generation efficiency is five to 15 percent higher than comparable onshore solar plants. The 66-kV subsea cable network carries power generated offshore to land. An onshore substation then steps the power up to 220 kV.
HG14 also integrates a 100-megawatt (MW)/200-megawatt-hour (MWh) energy storage system. This improves grid stability and enables smoother power delivery.
The solar farm’s combined transmission and storage design increases effective capacity by around 20 percent. It also cuts unit costs by about 15 percent. Once fully operational, the farm will generate around 1.78 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power per year.
This output could meet the needs of approximately 2.67 million urban residents in China. “This is equivalent to saving an estimated 503,800 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3447 million tons,” the company revealed in a press release.
As per the firm, the project strengthens regional energy security and supports China’s low-carbon transition. “Additionally, the project utilizes an integrated fishing and PV development model, combining fish farming with PV power generation to enhance the comprehensive utilization of the marine area,” CHN Energy concluded.
Based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her work has appeared in Daily Mail, Mirror, Daily Star, Yahoo, NationalWorld, Newsweek, Press Gazette and others. She covers stories on batteries, wind energy, sustainable shipping and new discoveries. When she's not chasing the next big science story, she's traveling, exploring new cultures, or enjoying good food with even better wine.
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