On December 7, it was reported that if Chinese wind power companies can participate in the competition for offshore wind power in the UK and place some production work in the UK, it will be a great opportunity for Chinese companies to enter overseas markets.

On September 15 this year, the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project, which had been stalled due to Brexit, officially received approval from the new government, bringing great joy to the nuclear power industry. After all, this order is too large (18 billion pounds), overshadowing the cooperation between China National Petroleum Corporation and BP during the same period.

However, nuclear power is a field that only a few domestic companies have licenses to operate in. In contrast, there are more opportunities for Chinese companies to enter the offshore wind power sector, which also has a vast market space.

The UK is composed of Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and a series of associated islands, with a land area of only 244,100 square kilometers, similar to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, but its coastline stretches up to 11,450 kilometers (China's mainland coastline is only 18,000 kilometers). It can be said that the UK has always been a fertile ground for the development of offshore wind power. Since 2010, the UK's investment in renewable energy generation has totaled 52 billion pounds, with 13 billion pounds invested in 2015 alone, accounting for more than half of the entire EU.

Last November, the UK announced that it would close all coal-fired power plants by 2025, which is undoubtedly a significant boost for clean energy. Data shows that in the second quarter of this year, the total electricity generation in the UK was 78.3 billion kilowatt-hours, with renewable energy accounting for 25%, while coal-fired generation was less than 10%, showing a clear trend of replacement.

As of now, the installed and under-construction capacity of offshore wind power in the UK has reached 5.7 GW. According to Catriona Knox, the energy counselor at the British Embassy in China, by 2020, the installed capacity of offshore wind power in the UK will reach 10 GW, making it a true leader in offshore wind power. She also stated that the UK is the most attractive location for offshore wind power investment globally, with investment opportunities in the offshore wind sector totaling 16-21 billion pounds from 2014 to 2020.

Currently, the main suppliers of offshore wind power units in the UK are GE, Siemens, and Vestas. Part of the reason is that these companies have moved the manufacturing of blades and towers to the UK, contributing to economic development and job creation. Catriona Knox believes that the cost of wind turbines accounts for more than one-third of the total cost of wind farms and hopes for more market competition mechanisms to reduce costs. As Chinese wind power companies grow stronger, many leading companies have begun to expand into overseas markets. If they can participate in the competition for offshore wind power in the UK and place some production work in the UK, it will be a great opportunity for Chinese companies to enter overseas markets.