Ørsted Kicks Off Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms in Taiwan

March 19, 2021 | Renewables | Energy Facts Staff Writer | 5min

With all the permits and EIA approvals in place, Global offshore wind leader Ørsted is moving full speed ahead with full-scale offshore construction activities of the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms. Ørsted will begin laying export and array cables and installing the offshore substations and foundations in 2021 and will proceed with wind turbine installation next year.

Located 35-60 km off the coast of Changhua County, the first large-scale and farshore offshore wind farms in Taiwan is scheduled to be finalized by 2022 and will provide clean energy to one million households.

Ørsted has kicked off the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to prepare for cable laying and scour protection works to make the seabed ready for foundation installation. Moreover, Ørsted is progressing well with onshore construction, including completing the civil works of the two onshore substation main buildings and the upgrade work of the hinterland at wharfs 36 and 37 at the Port of Taichung for storing key components for offshore installation.

Matthias Bausenwein, President of Ørsted Asia-Pacific, says: “Ørsted’s vision is to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. With 30 years of experience and an end-to-end business model of developing, constructing, and operating offshore wind farms, Ørsted has been committed since day one to helping Taiwan build first world-class offshore wind farms to provide clean energy and contribute to its energy transition goal. The commencement of offshore installation of the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms signify a landmark step towards achieving that goal of making Taiwan greener.”

Christy Wang, Ørsted Taiwan General Manager, says: “After nearly 1,800 days of relentless hard work, we’re now ready to commence all offshore installation. This isn’t an easy task, especially with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’ve demonstrated our profound offshore wind project management experience and expertise to successfully secure the vessels and personnel, making it possible for us to be on time with offshore construction. Together with a combination of foreign and domestic suppliers, Ørsted will ensure high performance of industrial quality, health, safety, and environmental standards, fulfill our EIA commitments throughout the construction phase, and deliver the wind farms on time.”

Ranked by Corporate Knights as the most sustainable energy company, Ørsted is dedicated to protecting the environment during construction by utilizing state-of-the-art technology available in the market. Ørsted’s suppliers have recruited the Taiwan Cetacean Observers (TCO) certified by the Ocean Conservation Administration, whose members include Changhua fishermen and non-governmental ecological organizations, to support offshore construction activities.

Moreover, the offshore construction will be supported by a wide range of marine engineering, vessels suppliers, and personnel from home and abroad. It is estimated that during peak times, there will be more than 25 vessels mobilized, including crew transfer vessels, installation and support vessels, service operation vessels, and guard vessels as well as 500-800 people working at sea.

In addition to offshore construction, Ørsted has been preparing for the operations and maintenance (O&M) work since 2019 and established a local O&M team with 21 Taiwanese O&M technicians, with four more expected to join in the near future. These technicians are currently under intensive professional O&M training and will be based at Ørsted’s new O&M base at the Port of Taichung starting 2022. From there, they will use the first Taiwan-flagged service operation vessel to perform their O&M duties, ensuring optimal performance of the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farm.

About Ørsted in Taiwan
Operational project

  • Ørsted is the biggest shareholder and co-owner of Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1, which was extended from a capacity of 8 MW to 128 MW in 2019.

Construction project

  • The Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms are located 35-60 kilometers off the coast of Changhua County, has a capacity of approx. 900 MW, and will be capable of providing clean energy to one million households. The construction of the offshore wind farms will be finalized in 2022.

Development projects

  • Ørsted was awarded the right to build the 920 MW Greater Changhua 2b & 4 Offshore Wind Farms in June 2018 and signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Taiwan-based Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) in July 2020. The Greater Changhua 2b & 4 Offshore Wind Farms will be operational in 2025 and fully commissioned by 2026, subject to grid availability and Ørsted’s final investment decision.
  • Ørsted has kick-started the environmental impact assessments of the Xu Feng 1, 2, and 3 projects, which are located 37-62 kilometers off the coast of Changhua County with a total potential capacity of 2 GW. Ørsted is currently awaiting the new framework for upcoming auctions and will utilize the Xu Feng projects and the 570 MW Greater Changhua 3 project that already has obtained EIA approval to take an active role within the coming zonal development.

As the world leader in offshore wind, Ørsted has installed more than 1,600 offshore wind turbines, with an installed offshore wind capacity of 7.6 GW and 2.3 GW more under construction (including the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms). It is Ørsted’s ambition to install a total of 15 GW offshore wind capacity world-wide by 2025.