SgurrEnergy lands contract to advise on viability of offshore wind farms in China

5 January 2009

SgurrEnergy has been appointed by the EU-China Energy & Environment Programme to advise on the potential for China to exploit its offshore wind resource.

Glasgow-based SgurrEnergy, which set up a base in Beijing in 2006, will work in partnership with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) to assess whether it is economically viable to construct offshore wind farms along a 10,000 kilometre stretch of coastline from Fujian to Shandong.

The CMA will be developing mesoscale models to quantify the wind resource along the coast.  This will be combined with satellite derived wind data and local wind measurements to produce a high resolution wind map of the area.  SgurrEnergy will focus on the technical, environmental and economic constraints that affect offshore sites along the Chinese coast.  The result will be identification of the most suitable sites for project development

In addition, the project also includes a feasibility study for a 100 MW offshore wind farm off the coast of Jiangsu province.  A project of this size could potentially produce enough energy to power nearly half a million homes. The project is funded by the European Union as part of the EU-China Energy Environment Programme which provides technical assistance for initiatives between China and Europe in the field of environmental and energy management.

SgurrEnergy co-founder Ian Irvine and the company’s wind analysis manager Richard Boddington are the lead consultants for the study and have already spent time in China training local experts on offshore wind farm assessment methodology and project development techniques.   As part of the project SgurrEnergy and CMA will produce a handbook for the offshore wind farm development process in China. 

Irvine said: “The renewables market in China is expanding rapidly due to a number of laws recently passed by the Government which sets the country on a path to deriving more of its energy from sustainable sources. “Onshore wind is already well established in China while offshore wind is very much at an embryonic stage. SgurrEnergy is therefore thrilled to be at the forefront of bringing expertise in this emerging sector to China'.

Pictured at the project kick off ceremony members of the CMA and front row second and third from the
right Richard Boddington and Ian Irvine of SgurrEnergy

< Back to News