Ming Yang Smart Energy won a deal to supply Italy's first offshore wind project, in a commercial breakthrough for a Chinese turbine maker in the European market.

Ming Yang said it has been lined up to deliver 10 of its MySE3.0-135 machines to the 30MW nearshore pilot project being developed by Renexia off Taranto in Italy’s Apulia region.

The deal marks a first for a Chinese wind OEM in the European offshore sector, which has so far been dominated by western giants Siemens Gamesa, GE and MHI Vestas.

The Chinese OEM is filling the shoes of insolvent German OEM Senvion, which was originally due to supply the turbines, and will also tie-up a 25-year O&M contract.

The project – which is racing French floating pilot plants to be the Mediterranean’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm – is set to be commissioned by the end of this year, according to a statement by Ming Yang, which hailed it a key milestone in plans to enter the European offshore wind market, with its end of the operation run out of a unit set up in Hamburg last year.

Ming Yang – which is competing with the likes of Goldwind and Shanghai Electric in its domestic offshore wind market – has made no secret of its ambitions abroad, with an 11MW turbine already earmarked for installation off China and plans for a machine as large as 15MW. The Chinese OEM is also planning to equip South America's first offshore wind farm off the Brazilian state of Ceará.

The Taranto project secured the right for 25 years of support at a level of €161.70 ($184.20) per megawatt hour at an Italian renewable energy auction in December 2016 that mostly allocated support for onshore wind projects.

Developer Renexia is leading one of the biggest US offshore wind projects, the 1.3GW MarWin off Maryland, and advancing a 30MW floating wind farm off Sicily.

Wind

China makes European offshore wind breakthrough as Ming Yang bags first Italian job