CIMC Raffles launched the semi-submersible wind-to-hydrogen platform Shenhai Qingneng No. 1 in Jiangmen, Guangdong, on Tuesday, October 13. The company describes it as the first platform of its type in the world.
Commissioning of the onshore process systems has been completed, and the platform is now preparing for deployment in the South China Sea. It was designed for the region's combination of adverse sea conditions and shallow-water operations.
The platform uses a shallow-water, multipoint, disconnectable mooring system. Its structure is rated for sea conditions with a 50-year return period. It can run on either grid-connected or off-grid power and uses motion-suppression technology so that its proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers can keep producing in complex sea states.
The platform carries 1,000 Nm³/h-class PEM electrolysis equipment and three kinds of systems for storing hydrogen, which will undergo marine-adaptability testing. A remote-monitoring system allows unattended operation.
CIMC said the project is the first of its kind in China to receive both China Classification Society (CCS) classification inspection and statutory maritime inspection.
The platform follows CIMC Raffles' Yantai offshore energy island hydrogen-ammonia-methanol integration pilot project.
That project was developed with China Energy Investment Corporation about five kilometres off the eastern coast of Yantai, Shandong, and entered commissioning in March 2025.
CIMC Raffles has been expanding into offshore wind equipment and operations since at least 2021.