On April 14, 2020 within the Cuiheng New Area Coastal Industrial Park, Zhongshan City, the delivery ceremony for the inaugural monopile destined for Yangjiang Shapa 300MW Demonstration Project took place under clear skies and fluttering banners at Guangdong's first monopile manufacturing base—a joint venture between Ziking and Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). This marked Guangdong's first locally produced offshore wind monopile, achieved through Anhui-Guangdong collaboration that leveraged regional marine engineering resources. The event was attended by executives from Ziking, CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, Poly Changda Engineering, Yangjiang Mingyang Offshore Wind Power Development, Beijing Shougang, and Baosteel.

The delivered monopile—measuring 103.4 meters in length with an 8.8-meter maximum diameter and weighing 1,644.3 tons (equivalent to a light frigate)—ranks as one of the world's largest monopiles. ‌Its successful delivery signifies that Anhui’s manufacturing prowess has reached a new level in advancing the development of Guangdong's offshore wind energy infrastructure, an achievement that will contribute to more efficient development of the wind energy sector in China.‌

Globally prioritized in renewable energy strategies, offshore wind energy holds critical importance for energy-intensive Guangdong, offering potential for structural optimization, emission reduction, climate resilience, industrial upgrading, and economic stability. On February 14, 2020, Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission released construction and grid-connection schedules for 26 offshore wind farm projects, collectively exceeding 100GW in capacity. With an average development cost currently at RMB 14,000 per kilowatt, the total investment surpasses RMB 1.4 trillion, establishing wind energy as Guangdong's newest trillion-yuan industry. These projects concentrate in Shantou, Jieyang, Shanwei, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Yangjiang, and Zhanjiang. Demonstration projects including Guishan Wind Farm (Zhuhai), Wailuo Wind Farm (Zhanjiang), and Nanpeng Island Wind Farm (Yangjiang) are scheduled for grid connection by end-2020, while most remaining projects will kick off construction before end-2020 and achieve grid connection by end-2021, heralding Guangdong's wind power boom.

The manufacturing of this monopile coincided with the global COVID-19 outbreak. To ensure successful production of the first pile for Yangjiang Shapa 300MW Demonstration Project, Ziking and Wenchong Shipyard Heavy Industry overcame pandemic-induced challenges including delayed work resumption, labor shortages, and complex fabrication requirements. Through advanced planning and process optimization, the two companies completed fabrication within 45 days and delivered the monopile on schedule.

Ziking has, since early 2018, designated offshore wind energy as a strategic development focus. To overcome the limitations of its inland Hefei Base—constrained waterway logistics and inadequate heavy industry infrastructure—Ziking proactively expanded southward to Guangdong Province. Partnering with Wenchong Shipyard Heavy Industry, Ziking availed itself of the strategic location at the Pearl River Delta estuary to establish a dedicated offshore wind energy steel structure manufacturing base specializing in jacket foundations, skirt piles, large-diameter monopiles, and pile stabilization platforms. The Guangdong facility now boasts annual production capacity of 90 large-diameter monopiles, 40 jacket foundations, and 50,000 tons of skirt piles, standing as Guangdong's largest and most comprehensive offshore wind energy steel structure manufacturing base with the highest specialization level.

In the years ahead, aligning closely with national offshore wind energy development policies and Guangdong's ambition to build a trillion-yuan wind energy sector, Ziking will deepen its collaboration with CSSC, and through this partnership, the two companies will synergize core competencies, enhance offshore infrastructure manufacturing capabilities, and make a greater contribution to advancing the development of offshore wind energy and renewable energy sectors in China.