China has brought a 1 GW offshore solar power plant online off the coast of Dongying, Shandong province, combining PV with energy storage and aquaculture in what is now the world’s largest open-sea solar project in commercial operation.
China has fully commissioned the 1 GW HG14 offshore PV project, developed by Guohua Investment under China Energy Investment Corp. (CHN Energy), off the coast of Dongying, Shandong province.
The plant achieved full-capacity grid connection in late December 2025 and occupies roughly 1,223 hectares of shallow coastal waters, 8 km from shore, with depths of 1 meters to 4 meters.
The installation is China’s first gigawatt-scale fixed-pile offshore PV project and the first offshore solar facility approved under a national three-dimensional sea-use rights framework. Total investment is reported at about CNY 8.1 billion ($1.2 billion).
HG14 comprises 2,934 steel PV platforms measuring 60 meters by 35 meters each, supported by 11,736 steel piles. The fixed-pile design ensures stability against wind, waves, tides, and seasonal sea ice, addressing key engineering challenges for northern coastal offshore solar deployment.
The plant uses over 2.3 million 710 W n-type bifacial modules mounted at a 15-degree tilt. Project data indicates offshore conditions raise generation efficiency by 5% to 15% compared with comparable onshore systems, aided by lower temperatures and sea-surface reflectivity.
Electricity is transmitted via a 66 kV subsea cable system combined with onshore cabling to a 220 kV substation. A co-located 100 MW/200 MWh energy storage system enhances grid stability and dispatch flexibility. The transmission design is reported to increase capacity by 20% while reducing unit costs by 15%.
HG14 is expected to generate about 1.78 TWh annually, meeting roughly 60% of electricity demand in Kenli district, avoiding 1.34 million tons of CO₂ emissions and saving more than 500,000 tonnes of coal. The project also integrates aquaculture under a “PV-above, farming-below” model, enabling dual use of marine space and additional revenue streams.
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