Hong Kong utility HK Electric has secured a new environmental permit for a 150MW offshore wind farm off the city’s south coast.
It had initially received an environmental permit in 2010 but the project’s original design plan became outdated due to improvements in offshore wind turbine technology, the utility explained.
The company aims to build an offshore wind farm with a capacity of about 150MW in a 6km2 site south-west of Lamma Island.
HK Electric plans to submit the project for final approval from the government as part of Hong Kong’s five-year development plan for 2024 to 2028.
The project would use 13-19 wind turbines, with power ratings of 8-12MW and tip heights of 198-271 metres. The turbines would be installed on monopiles in water depths of 17-22 metres.
Foundation and wind turbine installation is due to begin in mid-2025 ahead of commercial operations starting in 2027.
HK Electric has been collecting wind data at the site for many years, and reports that the area has average wind speeds of about 7.1m/s.
