Accelerating the Sino-German Offshore Wind Power Business Exchange

In China ambitions for the development of offshore wind are high. The 13^th Five-Year-Plan sets the target to increase capacity of offshore wind to 5 GW until 2020. This creates an excellent precondition for Chinese and German companies to cooperate and to seize joint opportunities arising from the energy transition. To facilitate private sector cooperation, showcase best practice technologies and innovative solutions in the offshore wind power sector, the Sino-German Energy Partnership organized its first Sino-German Offshore Wind Economic Roundtable on May 31 in Yangjiang, Guangdong province, jointly with the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA). Apart from the presented German technology providers, large and influential Chinese investors, manufacturers and industry experts from the offshore wind power sector were also attracted by the roundtable.

The bustling city of Yangjiang, with the most ambitious offshore wind targets and home to China's largest offshore wind project under construction (400 MW in 2020), was a favorable location for the German business representatives from Deutsche WindGuard, ESM Vibration Technology, fos4X Wind Power Technology, IMO Energy, Siemens and Wölfel Group to present their tested and frequently applied technologies and services to the Chinese audience. Offshore wind technologies and services from the German representatives included scientific, technical, and operational consulting services, yaw and single main bearings, elastomer components, voltage transformers as well as sensors and IT solutions for structural health monitoring.

The event was hosted and opened by Ms. Yin Yuxia, the project director of the Sino-German Energy Partnership, who welcomed all participants and stressed the importance of Sino-German cooperation in the development of reliable energy generation from offshore wind. The Energy Partnership supports Sino-German private sector cooperation through its business networks and by facilitating the exchange between relevant government institutions and businesses from the energy sector.

Ms. Li Dan, executive vice secretary-general of Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA), agreed to the importance of a systematic and ongoing exchange of German and Chinese businesses in her opening remarks and emphasized the role of German manufacturers for the application of high engineering standards and provision of supreme quality of products.

Mr. Engels, General Manager of the German Industry & Commerce Greater China in Guangzhou set the stage for the subsequent presentations by delivering an overview over business opportunities in the Chinese offshore wind market. Besides the scale and drive of the Chinese market, he underlined the demand for mature German technologies such as high capacity turbines, corrosion and heat protection, repair and maintenance services as well as solutions for grid connection and infrastructure.

The event ended with an open matchmaking session for German and Chinese companies to engage in bilateral discussions on their specific requirements and proposals. As a start of Sino-German cooperation on offshore wind power under the framework of the Sino-German Energy Partnership, both sides look forward to further and deeper exchanges.