CHINA, the world's biggest energy consumer after the United States, is accelerating the development of offshore wind farms and expects its wind-power capacity in 2010 to exceed an earlier target.

The nation's capacity to generate power from the wind will rise to 20 gigawatts by the end of the decade, topping an earlier goal of 10 gigawatts, Wu Guihui, deputy head of the energy bureau under the National Development and Reform Commission, said in Beijing.