CNOOC Offshore Wind Initiatives for 2025: Key Projects, Strategies and Partnerships

CNOOC’s Strategic Pivot: From Oil Giant to Offshore Wind Powerhouse

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), a titan in the hydrocarbon sector, is executing a decisive pivot toward renewable energy, with a sharp focus on offshore wind. An analysis of the company’s activities reveals a strategic evolution from initial-phase projects designed to green its own operations to a full-scale commercial and technological expansion. This shift positions CNOOC not just as a participant but as a formidable force shaping the global offshore wind landscape, leveraging its deep-water expertise to redefine its energy portfolio for a low-carbon future.

Industry Adoption: A Shift from Internal Efficiency to Market Leadership

Between 2021 and 2024, CNOOC’s adoption of offshore wind was characterized by an inward-looking strategy focused on operational integration. The primary application was to power its own oil and gas assets, exemplified by the Penglai Offshore Wind Farm Pilot Project with ConocoPhillips and the deployment of the “Haiyou Guanlan” floating platform to supply electricity to its South China Sea oilfields. This period was about proving the concept of integrated energy systems, using wind to decarbonize its core hydrocarbon business. The applications were discrete, project-based, and centered on demonstrating technical viability and achieving internal emissions reduction goals.

A clear inflection point occurred in 2025. The company’s strategy evolved from self-contained pilots to a multi-pronged approach targeting technological leadership, supply chain development, and global market penetration. The commissioning of a 16MW Tension-Leg Platform (TLP) floating turbine at the Lufeng oilfield cluster signaled a significant leap in scale and technological ambition. Beyond power generation, CNOOC began exploring adjacent applications, partnering with AutoFlight to test eVTOLs for offshore logistics. This diversification indicates that offshore wind is no longer just an operational efficiency tool but a core pillar of a new, integrated energy business. The formation of the JERA Nex bp joint venture underscores a new threat to established renewable players, as CNOOC now has a vehicle for global offshore wind development, expanding its competitive footprint far beyond Chinese waters.

Investment: Fueling a Diversified Energy Future

CNOOC’s investment strategy reflects its dual commitment to its legacy business and its aggressive push into renewables. The capital allocation demonstrates a clear and growing financial commitment to offshore wind and related green technologies, moving from specific project financing to embedding renewables within its core corporate budget. This financial strategy underpins the company’s ambition to build a resilient, integrated, and lower-carbon energy portfolio.

Table: CNOOC Clean Energy Investment Profile

Partnerships: Building a Global and Technological Ecosystem

CNOOC’s partnership strategy has matured from collaborating on single assets to building a broad ecosystem for global growth and technological innovation. Early partnerships were tactical, focused on executing specific pilot projects. Recent collaborations are more strategic, aimed at securing supply chains, entering new markets, and diversifying its technological capabilities. The inclusion of an LNG deal with ADNOC highlights a parallel strategy to secure its energy portfolio against geopolitical risks while it builds out its renewables arm.

Table: CNOOC Strategic Partnerships Evolution

Geography: From Domestic Proving Grounds to Global Ambition

CNOOC’s geographic focus has expanded significantly. The 2021-2024 period was dominated by domestic activities in China’s key offshore basins—the Bohai Sea, South China Sea, and waters off Hainan Province. These projects served as crucial proving grounds. The one major exception was the Green Volt project in Scotland’s North Sea, a strategic entry into a mature international market to gain experience in floating wind and electrification of assets.

The year 2025 marks a deliberate internationalization. CNOOC is now active across multiple continents. The research partnership with UFRJ establishes a foothold in Brazil and South America’s emerging offshore wind market. The SOV contract with Dong Fang Offshore targets Taiwan and the broader, rapidly growing Asian market. Most notably, the JERA Nex bp joint venture is explicitly global in scope, providing CNOOC a platform to compete for projects worldwide. This geographic diversification mitigates risk and positions CNOOC to capture growth wherever it emerges, making it a mainstream global player.

Technology Maturity: Rapid Progression from Pilot to Commercial Scale

CNOOC’s offshore wind technology journey shows a rapid progression up the maturity curve. The 2021-2024 period was defined by piloting and first-of-a-kind deployments. The launch of “Haiyou Guanlan” in 2023 with its 7.25MW turbine was a landmark event, proving the viability of deep-sea floating wind for powering oilfields. This, along with the Penglai pilot, represented the demonstration phase, validating the core concept of integrated energy production in challenging offshore environments.

By 2025, the technology has moved firmly into the scaling and diversification phase. The commissioning of the 16MW TLP-supported floating turbine at the Lufeng oilfield is a critical validation point, more than doubling the power capacity of the previous generation and introducing a new platform design (TLP). This is not a pilot; it is a commercial-scale deployment. Concurrently, the eVTOL trial with AutoFlight shows CNOOC is looking beyond power generation to innovate across the entire offshore operations value chain. This shift from proving a single technology to deploying scaled-up versions and integrating adjacent operational technologies indicates that for CNOOC, floating offshore wind is ready for commercial prime time.

Table: CNOOC Offshore Wind SWOT Analysis

Forward-Looking Insights: From Integration to Domination

The data from 2025 signals a clear acceleration in CNOOC’s strategy. The company is no longer just experimenting with offshore wind; it is actively seeking a leadership position. Market actors should expect CNOOC, both independently and through its JERA Nex bp venture, to become a more aggressive bidder in global offshore wind auctions, particularly for deep-water and floating projects where its expertise provides a distinct advantage.

The signals to watch are threefold. First is the rapid scale-up of technology; the jump from a 7.25MW to a 16MW turbine in such a short period suggests CNOOC will continue to push the technological frontier. Second is the expansion of its integrated energy model. The focus on AI and digitalization, coupled with ventures into new logistics with eVTOLs, indicates an ambition to build the world’s most efficient and technologically advanced offshore energy system. Finally, the partnership with Dong Fang Offshore to build out the Asian supply chain signals a move to consolidate regional influence. CNOOC is methodically transforming from an oil company using wind power into an integrated energy giant where offshore wind is a central, powerful, and profitable engine of growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was CNOOC’s initial approach to offshore wind energy?
Initially, between 2021 and 2024, CNOOC’s strategy was primarily focused on internal efficiency. It developed pilot projects, like the Penglai Offshore Wind Farm and the “Haiyou Guanlan” floating platform, with the main goal of using wind power to decarbonize its own oil and gas operations and prove the technical viability of integrated energy systems.

How did CNOOC’s offshore wind strategy evolve in 2025?
The year 2025 marked a significant strategic pivot. CNOOC shifted from using wind for internal operations to pursuing market leadership. This new strategy involves achieving technological leadership with projects like the 16MW TLP floating turbine, developing a robust supply chain, and expanding its global market presence, notably through its joint venture with JERA and bp.

How is CNOOC leveraging its traditional oil and gas expertise for its new wind ventures?
CNOOC is strategically using its extensive experience in deep-water and offshore operations as a competitive advantage. Its initial projects focused on integrating wind power directly with its oil and gas platforms. This background gives the company a distinct edge in developing complex deep-water and floating offshore wind projects, which are technologically demanding.

Is CNOOC’s expansion into renewables limited to China?
No, CNOOC is actively expanding its geographic footprint beyond China. While its initial projects were in Chinese waters, it has since entered the European market with the Green Volt project in Scotland, established a research partnership in Brazil (UFRJ), and is targeting the broader Asian market through a supply chain deal in Taiwan. Its JERA Nex bp joint venture is explicitly designed for global offshore wind development.

What are some of the key technological milestones for CNOOC in offshore wind?
CNOOC has rapidly advanced its technological capabilities. Key milestones include deploying the “Haiyou Guanlan” floating platform with a 7.25MW turbine in 2023 and making a major leap in 2025 with the commissioning of a commercial-scale 16MW TLP-supported floating turbine. The company is also innovating in adjacent areas, such as testing eVTOLs for offshore logistics and integrating AI into its operations.

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