A major milestone in renewable energy has been reached off the coast of China with the successful grid connection of the world’s first 20 megawatt offshore wind turbine. Installed in coastal waters near Fujian Province, the turbine is now supplying clean electricity directly into the national power network and marks a significant step forward in offshore wind technology.

The project highlights how rapidly offshore wind is scaling, not just in deployment numbers, but in the size and capability of individual turbines.

A turbine on an unprecedented scale

The physical scale of the turbine is striking. Its hub height rises to around 174 metres above sea level, comparable to a high rise building, while the rotor spans close to 300 metres in diameter. Each rotation sweeps an area equivalent to multiple football pitches, allowing the turbine to capture far more wind energy than earlier generations.

Thanks to this size and capacity, the turbine is expected to generate tens of millions of kilowatt hours of electricity each year. That output is sufficient to power tens of thousands of homes while significantly reducing reliance on coal fired generation.

The world’s largest offshore wind turbines before the 20 MW breakthrough

Before the latest development in China, offshore wind turbine size had already been increasing rapidly, with several manufacturers pushing capacity well beyond the 14 MW mark. 

The turbines below represent the largest offshore models deployed or announced prior to the first 20 MW unit being connected to the grid.

The 10 biggest offshore wind turbines pre 20 MW

  1. MingYang MySE 18.X. Rated up to 18 megawatts with an enormous rotor designed for deep water offshore sites and typhoon conditions
  2. 2. Vestas V236 15.0 MW. One of the most widely publicised next generation turbines with a 236 metre rotor diameter and very high annual energy output
  3. 3. GE Haliade X 14 15 MW. An evolution of the original Haliade X platform that set early benchmarks for ultra large offshore turbines
  4. 4. Siemens Gamesa SG 14 222 DD. A direct drive offshore turbine designed for reliability and high output at scale
  5. 5. Siemens Gamesa SG 14 236 DD. An extended rotor version of the SG 14 platform pushing swept area even further
  6. 6. MingYang MySE 16.X. A high capacity offshore turbine designed specifically for large Chinese and international wind farm developments
  7. 7. Goldwind GWH252 16 MW. One of the largest Chinese built offshore turbines prior to the 20 MW milestone
  8. 8. Dongfang Electric 13 5 MW offshore turbine. A major step in China’s domestic offshore turbine capability before the move to ultra large formats
  9. 9. Envision Energy EN 182 8 MW. Smaller by today’s standards but a key stepping stone in the rapid scaling of offshore wind technology
  10. 10. Vestas V174 9 5 MW. Once considered enormous this turbine represented a major leap when first introduced and helped define modern offshore wind farms

Why bigger turbines matter

The move towards ultra large offshore wind turbines reflects a broader industry trend. Fewer turbines are needed to achieve the same or greater energy output, which can reduce seabed disturbance, installation time, and long term maintenance complexity.

Larger turbines also improve the economics of offshore wind farms by increasing energy yield per foundation and per grid connection. As a result, projects can become more efficient while delivering greater environmental benefit.

Implications for global offshore wind development

China’s successful deployment of a 20 megawatt turbine signals what the next phase of offshore wind could look like worldwide. As countries accelerate their transition to low carbon energy, advances in turbine design, materials, and offshore engineering will play a critical role.

This development demonstrates how innovation is pushing the boundaries of renewable infrastructure. What was considered experimental only a few years ago is now operating at commercial scale, feeding power directly into the grid.

As offshore wind continues to evolve, the focus is shifting from simply building more turbines to building smarter, larger, and more efficient systems that can deliver reliable clean energy for decades to come.