Ørsted said that the full-scale offshore construction activities at the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a wind farms are moving full speed ahead after the developer secured all the permits and EIA approvals for the project.
Ørsted will begin export and array cable laying, installation of the offshore substations and foundations in 2021, and proceed with the wind turbine installation next year.
Located 35-60 kilometres from the coastline of Changhua County, the first large-scale and far shore offshore wind farms in Taiwan are scheduled to be finalized by 2022.
Ørsted has kicked off the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to prepare for cable laying and scour protection work to make ready the seabed for foundation installation.
Moreover, the developer is progressing well with the onshore construction, including completing the civil works of the two onshore substation main buildings and the upgrade work of hinterland at Wharfs 36 and 37 at the Port of Taichung to store the key components for offshore installation.
”After nearly 1,800 days of relentless hard work, we are now ready to commence all offshore installation,” Christy Wang , Ørsted Taiwan General Manager, said.
”This is not an easy task, especially with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we have 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 for the 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.”
Ørsted’s suppliers have recruited the Taiwan Cetacean Observers (TCO) certified by Ocean Conservation Administration, the members including Changhua fishermen and non-governmental ecological organization, to support offshore construction activities.
Moreover, the offshore construction will be supported by a range of marine engineering, and vessels suppliers and personnel from home and abroad, the developer said. 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 on-site simultaneously at sea.
In addition to offshore construction, Ørsted has been preparing for the operations and maintenance (O&M) work since 2019 and has established a local O&M team with 21 Taiwanese O&M technicians, with four more expected to join in the near future.
These technicians will be based at Ørsted’s new O&M base at the Port of Taichung starting from 2022. From there, they will take the first Taiwan-flagged service operation vessel to perform their O&M duties.