Cnooc to lift offshore wind power capacity by 40% this year

Published Fri, Feb 13, 2026 · 11:45 AM

CHINA National Offshore Oil Corporation (Cnooc) plans to boost its offshore wind power capacity by about 40 per cent this year, tapping growth in the country’s burgeoning clean energy market as the outlook for oil weakens.

The country’s third-biggest oil and gas producer aims to raise its total installed offshore wind capacity to 3.5 gigawatts by year-end, said chairman Zhang Chuanjiang, as reported by China Petrochem Magazine, an industrial news outlet. It has partnered with turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy Group to deploy advanced models across China’s southern provinces, the magazine reported earlier this week.

State-owned Cnooc’s expansion comes as China continues a world-beating renewables rollout that’s helped cap coal growth in the world’s top polluter. Falling costs for Chinese near-shore wind developments mean the price of generating power is now the same as from coal plants, and that’s prompted renewed investment interest from major firms.

China’s offshore wind capacity has climbed to 47 gigawatts, about 10 per cent of onshore fleets, according to official data from the National Energy Administration. By contrast, the country’s oil demand is seen flattening out, squeezing profit growth due to low prices.

Beijing has pledged to double combined wind and solar capacity by 2035. While wind power has long lagged solar in the country, installations are accelerating as the technology helps offset solar’s lack of night-time supply. BLOOMBERG

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