A major breakthrough in offshore wind energy maintenance has been achieved through the successful appraisal of a key technology research project led by China Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited, a subsidiary of China Energy Investment Corporation. The project, focused on the monitoring and rapid fault diagnosis of offshore wind power submarine cables, recently passed scientific and technological appraisal by the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering.
The project was recognized as having reached a world-leading level, filling a domestic gap in submarine cable magnetic field detection and marking a significant leap forward in China’s underwater detection capabilities for offshore wind energy.
The Guo Neng Hai Ce No.1 platform was deployed at an offshore wind farm in Jiangsu Province for scanning operations. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The project addresses long-standing technical challenges in submarine cable inspection by developing the industry’s first integrated detection platform capable of monitoring cable conditions. It will significantly reduce fault localization time, maintenance costs, and power outage durations, improving the precision and efficiency of underwater inspections and supporting full life-cycle management of offshore wind power assets.
The project integrates advanced technologies such as marine dynamic positioning and hovering systems and independently developed high-precision cable detection equipment. It enables comprehensive “acoustic-optical-electrical-magnetic” scanning. The project also performs high-resolution 3D seabed terrain modeling and 360° scanning of foundation structures, greatly enhancing the visibility and monitoring of underwater assets, and improving the intelligence, safety, and accuracy of offshore wind operations.
The project has already been successfully applied in several provinces, including Jiangsu and Fujian. It pioneers an unmanned operation model combining surface-level unmanned vessels with underwater robots, offering a smart, integrated solution for the efficient maintenance and detection of offshore wind facilities. With strong economic and social benefits, the technology has broad application potential and plays a key role in advancing China’s offshore wind industry into deeper waters.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
