China has built the world’s largest floating offshore wind turbine, as the country invests heavily in renewable energy generation.
Developed by state-owned electricity infrastructure companies China Huaneng Group and Dongfang Electric, the 17 megawatt turbine has a rotor diameter of 262 metres. China added 46 gigawatts of wind power capacity in the first five months of 2025.
China is fast-tracking 1.3 terawatts worth of solar and wind energy projects, according to a report by Global Energy Monitor last week, which would almost double the country’s capacity. “As of March 2025, China has emerged as the world’s offshore wind powerhouse — growing from under 5 GW in 2018 to 42.7 GW in 2025 (50% of global capacity),” the report said.
“Though only a small portion of China’s overall renewable capacity, China’s offshore wind fleet contributes over 50% of the overall offshore wind capacity in construction worldwide.”
Each of China Huaneng and Dongfang Electric’s 17MW turbines generate around 68 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, the company said.
It is designed for waters deeper than 50 metres, and can withstand waves more than 24 metres tall.
Dongfang Electric previously built the world’s largest non-floating offshore turbine in October. This 26 megawatt turbine is able to produce 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
In May, China installed 26 gigawatts of wind power capacity, or around 5,300 turbines. Solar and wind power represented 25% of China’s total electricity generation from January to May 2025, increasing from 20% the previous year.
