Offshore breezes prove windfall for fisheries

Ocean resources now account for 7 percent of global GDP, and it is crucial for all nations to collaborate and promote sustainable development, said Beate Trankmann, the United Nations Development Programme's resident representative in China, adding that the blue economy is also important globally.

The mixed wind power and aquaculture model is not new overseas. European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway started trials as early as 2000, fixing fish cages and shellfish and kelp rafts to turbine bases. Asian countries, such as South Korea, got started in 2016, finding that valuable seafood such as kelp, mussels and scallops increased around offshore wind farms.

Before Longyuan's move, China Three Gorges Corp announced in 2019 plans for the country's first offshore wind project integrated with fish farming at Laizhou Bay in seafood-centric province Shandong, while China General Nuclear Power Group, the country's largest nuclear power plant operator by installed capacity and China Datang Corp, one of the largest power generation enterprises, are also pushing similar agendas.

Mingyang Smart Energy is among the private enterprise pioneers striving to take better advantage of vast ocean resources. The wind turbine manufacturer is working on a typhoon-resistant wind turbine jacket foundation that will incorporate an offshore fish farm, which will have an intelligent aquaculture system with remote functionality such as automated feeding, monitoring, detection and harvesting.

With a goal to produce 150,000 aquatic animals in a 5,000-cubic-meter cage, the innovative marine ranching project that harnesses cold energy from offshore wind farms will revolutionize sustainable aquaculture by utilizing renewable energy to create optimal breeding conditions for marine life, promote efficient use of the sea, along with offshore wind and hydrogen production, it said.

The high-quality aquatic products raised in this system are comparable to wild seafood and are less impacted by nearshore marine pollution, while the innovative project will also address concerns about potential area conflicts between future offshore aquaculture and wind farms, it said.

Shanghai Electric Wind Power Group also came up with the world's first floating wind turbine, solar farm and fish farm combination last year in Fujian province, which features a three-columned, semi-submersible floating platform that supports 3.6 megawatts of offshore wind turbine power and 0.4 MW of lightweight, flexible solar panels. A fish farming space has been dedicated in the hexagonal space beneath the central platform.

Once operational, the mixed energy project has the capacity to generate 96,000 kWh of electricity daily at full capacity, equivalent to the daily energy consumption of 42,500 individuals.

Li Ziyue, an analyst with BloombergNEF, said China's offshore sector has great upside potential in the years to come.

While China's offshore oil and gas production is expected to continue rising in the years to come, its continuous upstream investment and production commitment will also play a critical role in China's energy supply security, she said.

Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, said China's strategic focus on maximizing the use of its marine resources represents a significant move toward sustainable economic growth and environmental stewardship.

By investing in offshore wind farms and other marine-based renewable energy projects, China can tap into vast energy potential while simultaneously fostering marine biodiversity, Lin said.

The creation of artificial reefs and habitats around these installations not only supports marine life, but also promotes fishery and tourism, thereby boosting local economies.

The holistic utilization of marine resources underscores the country's commitment to innovative sustainable practices that can drive long-term prosperity, he added.