Founders’ Honor

Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

AWARD CATEGORY

Energy production

Project title

Digital innovation in the full lifecycle of offshore wind power

Location

Yangjiang, Guangdong, China

Bentley software used

iTwin Experience, MicroStation, OpenBuildings, ProjectWise, SACS

Project summary

Located in waters near China’s Yangjiang, this offshore wind farm project has a total installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, will save 1.1 million tons of standard coal annually, and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 3 million tons. The large-scale project required integration and coordination of multisourced data and multiple engineering disciplines amid harsh sea conditions on a short design cycle. The project team realized that traditional project delivery methods were insufficient and sought to implement smart, lifecycle digital management throughout design, construction, and operations.

Leveraging Bentley ProjectWise and SACS with open modeling and Bentley iTwin Experience, the team established a connected data environment and digital twin, facilitating intelligent collaborative design and construction workflows. Working in a connected digital ecosystem reduced the design cycle by 15% and shortened the construction period by 20%, saving CNY 20 million in construction costs. The digital twin is estimated to save 15% in annual operations and maintenance costs through precise digital facility monitoring.

Image Credit: Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.