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."
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.
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.
