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The pricing for offshore wind power will be announced, and investment in wind turbine equipment may increase.
Recently, there has been a continuous stream of good news regarding offshore wind power, which may indicate a significant increase in offshore wind power construction in the second half of the year. Research institutions have indicated that the likelihood of the offshore wind power grid connection price being announced in the second half of the year is expected to increase.
Recently, a report from Shenwan Hongyuan revealed that recent channel surveys found that the National Energy Administration may announce the offshore wind power grid connection price in June. It is estimated that the price for intertidal zones will be 0.78 RMB per kilowatt-hour, while the price for nearshore areas will be 0.85 RMB per kilowatt-hour. It is predicted that the internal equity return rate for developers may exceed 12%, which is expected to drive investment in offshore wind power in the second half of the year.
The National Energy Administration's 2014 energy work guidance suggested that this year should see steady development of offshore wind power. Due to the high investment costs associated with offshore wind power—approximately double that of onshore wind power per kilowatt capacity—and the incomplete pricing system for offshore wind power, companies have found it difficult to calculate clear investment returns. This has been one of the main reasons for the slow progress in offshore wind power construction over the past few years.
This situation may improve in the second half of the year. Reports indicate that the National Energy Administration will construct offshore wind power investment projects in several provinces this year. Additionally, Tang Wenqian, Secretary-General of the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of the China Circular Economy Association, revealed at the "2014 Shanghai International Offshore Wind Power and Wind Power Industry Chain Conference and Exhibition" that pricing for offshore wind power is expected to be announced this year, which will send a "good signal" for the long-term planning and sustainable development of the offshore wind power industry, helping to attract capable manufacturing companies and developers to invest in offshore wind power.
Currently, there is a rich reserve of offshore wind power projects, and the announcement of the grid connection price will accelerate construction across various regions. It is understood that this year, several offshore wind power projects have been approved to start construction or are about to begin, with a total installed capacity of approximately 1.56 million kilowatts, three times the cumulative installation over the past few years. This includes the second phase of the Donghai Bridge offshore wind farm in Shanghai, the Nanzhidao offshore wind farm in Putian, Fujian, the intertidal wind farm in Rudong, Jiangsu, the Pinghai Bay offshore wind farm in Putian, Fujian, the offshore wind power concession bidding project in Dafeng, Jiangsu, the Rudong offshore wind farm in Jiangsu, and the Guishan offshore wind farm in Zhuhai, Guangdong.
Local governments have already introduced policies to support the development of offshore wind power. On May 4, Shanghai released a new energy power generation subsidy policy, proposing a subsidy of 0.2 RMB per kilowatt-hour for offshore wind power, which is double that of onshore wind power. Earlier, in late April, the second nearshore wind farm in the country, the first phase of the Shanghai Lingang offshore wind farm, a national-level demonstration project with a capacity of 100,000 kilowatts, was also approved by the Shanghai municipal government, and the project has entered the preparatory stage before construction.
As the increase in offshore wind power becomes more certain, wind turbine manufacturing companies have begun to prepare comprehensively.