The establishment progress of offshore wind farms in Taiwan was severely trailing behind schedule in 2021, with both vessels and overseas technicians enduring difficulties from entering Taiwan. The first phase of the Greater Changhua Southeast and Southwest Wind Farms, scheduled for completion at the end of 2022, now bears good news, as the first wind turbine was successfully installed yesterday.
Despite hindrances seen from maritime engineering and personnel’s entries during 2021, the first phase of Orsted’s Greater Changhua Southeast and Southeast Wind Farms has now installed two offshore substations, more than 50% of underwater foundation piles, and 1/4 of underwater foundation, since commencement of offshore construction in March 2021. The two units of onshore substations are now successfully connected to TPC, while the first wind turbine was installed yesterday.
Frida Persson, CEO for the first phase of the Greater Changhua Southeast and Southwest Offshore Wind Farms, pointed out that wintertime made it more difficult for offshore construction due to stricter pandemic and related controls. With that being said, the efforts of Taiwanese and international suppliers have prompted Orsted to complete 333 units of underwater foundation piles, as well as the production of 111 jacket foundations, while locally assembled wind turbine cockpits and locally produced wind turbine towers have also arrived at the rear area of the Taichung Port for storage and pre-assemblage.
Orsted has participated in the demonstration wind farm of Formosa I, with an acquisition of 35% shares, and obtained a total of 1.82GW installed capacity for the Greater Changhua Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest Wind Farms at the selection and tender phase of potential sites, as well as 5.7GW of capacity for the block development phase, hoping to provide clean energy for Taiwan in the future in order to conform growth in demand.
However, Christy Wang, General Manager of Orsted Taiwan, has also pointed out the challenges for the block development phase of offshore wind power. Wang believes that the three major ordeals, including the upper limit for a single wind farm, as well as 60% of industrial relevance, and tender prices, are seriously testing developers and project financing. Kao Chuan-sheng, Development Director of Orsted Taiwan, also commented that the local supply chain is currently still at the learning curve stage, and that the government needs to provide sufficiently flexible support policies and a positive competition environment alongside new challenges that will surface alongside the large wind turbine tendency in the future.
Wang commented that a suppression of the temperature increment at within 1.5°C will require the efforts of everyone, and hopes that Orsted is able to achieve zero coal-firing by 2023, before reaching carbon neutrality throughout energy production and operation by 2025, and then another 50GW of renewable energy establishment in 2030 (30GW of offshore wind power and 17.5GW of onshore wind and solar power) that would introduce the company to its final attainment of net zero emission supply chain target by 2040.
(Photo source: Orsted)
