China’s Dongfang Electric has installed a 26-megawatt offshore wind turbine, seizing the title of the world’s most powerful from Siemens Gamesa’s 21.5 MW unit in Denmark.

The state-owned manufacturer announced that the prototype has been placed at a testing and certification base, marking a milestone in turbine engineering.

The machine, the largest globally in both capacity and size, features a blade wheel diameter of more than 310m and a hub height of 185m. Recently, Dongfang shipped the world’s heaviest nacelle, along with its three giant blades, to the site.  

Designed for offshore areas with wind speeds of 8m per second and above, the turbine can produce 100 gigawatt hours of electricity annually with average winds of 10m per second.

That output is enough to power 55,000 homes, cutting coal consumption by 30,000 tonnes and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80,000 tonnes. The system is engineered to withstand winds of up to 200km/h, according to Dongfang. 

Rising with the wind

The installation underscores China’s growing dominance in offshore wind energy. This year, the country is expected to install nearly three out of every four of the world’s new offshore turbines, Bloomberg reported, citing BloombergNEF data.

That compares with setbacks in the US, Europe, and Japan, where projects have stalled amid high financing costs, supply chain strains, and declining subsidies.

China’s advantages lie in integrated supply chains, state-backed financing, policy support, and rapid technological improvements.

“You have this playground of a big and diverse market that provides domestic companies with a platform of skills and innovation needed to build their global competitiveness,” Yujia Han, a researcher with Global Energy Monitor, told Bloomberg.

The country’s largest turbine makers, including Dongfang, Goldwind, and Ming Yang Smart Energy, are pushing beyond domestic waters. But while they benefit from lower production costs and vast local demand, foreign expansion has proven slower, partly due to limited operational track records and political scrutiny overseas.

Global struggles, local gains

The contrast is stark with Western players. Industry leaders such as Denmark’s Orsted, Siemens Gamesa, and General Electric have been squeezed by rising component prices, high interest rates, and wavering government support. Japan’s Mitsubishi recently withdrew from three offshore projects, while a German auction ended without a single bid as costs climbed. 

Separately, China’s scale and innovation are reshaping economics at home. The median cost of offshore wind power in China is now less than half that of the UK, the world’s second-largest market. 

Provinces like Guangdong are targeting ambitious capacity growth – 17 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2025, more than any single country outside China has achieved to date.

For Dongfang, the new 26MW turbine reflects the trend towards ever-larger machines as developers push further offshore in search of stronger winds and lower costs.

While the prototype must still undergo fatigue testing before full certification, it represents a powerful symbol of how China is not just keeping pace but setting the pace in offshore wind.