Longyuan Power passes 10GW capacity in wind installations

Longyuan Power has achieved 10GW of wind installations, after its Longtan Wind Farm in southwest China’s Yunnan province went into operation.

The 49.5MW Longtan Wind Farm is based in Qujing city, 2,500 metres above sea level. It comprises 33 high-altitude wind turbines made by Guodian United Power.

Xie Changjun, general manager of Longyuan Power, said that though the local wind resources were not that rich compared with the northern prairie areas, the wind farm has secure grid access, with nearly 2,500 annual utilisation hours – much higher than the average in Chinese wind farms.

Xie said that Longyuan Power would continue to develop high altitude wind farms. So far, it has secured 3GW wind power resources in Yunnan province. It has put 198MW wind farms in operation and 330MW wind farms are under construction.

It is also planning 1GW wind on plateaus in neighbouring Guizhou province and is installing turbines for the 200MW wind farm in Naqu, Tibet, which is to be completed by 2015.

The company said it would also focus on development of low-wind sites and offshore projects as the higher wind-speed sites in the northern prairie areas have been developed.