Orsted has inaugurated the 128MW Formosa 1 offshore wind farm in Taiwan, marking it as the first offshore wind farm built by the Danish developer in Asia.
In the past three years, Orsted has worked closely with joint venture partners, secured NT$18.7bn (€557m) in project finance and constructed the offshore wind farm on time.
The Formosa 1 offshore wind farm is a joint venture between Orsted (35%), JERA (32.5%), Macquarie Capital (25%) and Swancor (7.5%).
Located 2-6 km off the coast of Miaoli County, Formosa 1 has been completed in two phases, totalling 128MW.
Two Siemens Gamesa 4MW wind turbines were installed in October 2016 for the first phase and officially commissioned in April 2017.
The second phase, completed in October 2019, deploys 20 Siemens Gamesa 6MW wind turbines. The total power generation capacity for Formosa 1 is 128MW, which can supply 128,000 households in Taiwan.
Onshore construction of the second phase started in mid-2018 and offshore construction began in May 2019, finishing in October.
Orsted Offshore chief executive Martin Neubert said: “Orsted built the world’s first offshore wind farm in Denmark over 28 years ago.
Since then, Orsted has constructed more than 25 offshore wind farms. We’re proud to inaugurate the very first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific region. We’re glad that Orsted can contribute to Taiwan’s energy transition, which is also a significant step in realising our vision to create a world that runs entirely on green energy.”
Orsted Asia Pacific president and Formosa 1 chairman Matthias Bausenwein said: “Today is an historic moment for all who participated in the Formosa 1 project.
“All the intensive efforts invested together with our joint venture partners, local authorities, financial institutions and stakeholders have flourished. Formosa 1 marks the first milestone for Orsted’s expansion in Asia-Pacific.
“With this successful first step, we’re confident that Orsted will continue to lead the growth of offshore wind in Asia.”
In Taiwan Orsted is constructing the 900MW Greater Changhua 1&2a project with expected commissioning in 2022.
The developer was also awarded an additional 920MW for the Greater Changhua 2b&4 project, which, subject to final investment decision, is expected to be completed in 2025.