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China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) says it has commissioned an offshore wind power turbine at one of its oil rigs, 70 kilometres off the coast in the Bohai Sea. The 1.5 MW turbine, without a gearbox and equipped with a permanent magnet generator, was supplied by Goldwind, China's leading wind turbine manufacturer. It is linked to the central platform of the No.36-1 Shuizhong offshore oilfield by a five kilometre undersea power line. The turbine is expected to generate 4.4 million kWh of electricity a year, saving the oilfield 11 million tonnes of diesel oil annually. It is a modified version of Goldwind's onshore unit. Tower height is 57 metres and the blade diameter 70 metres. The CNY 40 million ($5.43 million) pilot project will help CNOOC gain experience in offshore wind, senior officials at the company say. While oil remains its core business, CNOOC hopes to increase its wind energy activity in the future providing power from offshore wind farms to the grid of economically developed areas onshore.