With all the permits and EIA approvals in place, leading offshore wind developer Ørsted reports that it 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, Taiwan, the first large-scale and farshore offshore wind farms in the country are scheduled to be in operation by 2022.
Ørsted will start with horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to prepare for cable laying and scour protection works to make the seabed ready for foundation installation. Moreover, onshore construction is progressing well, including completion of the civil works of the two onshore substation main buildings and the upgrade work of the hinterland at the Port of Taichung for storing key components for offshore installation.
Ørsted is determined to protect the environment during construction by utilising the most modern technology available on 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 organisations, to support offshore construction activities.
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.
