Jan De Nul has installed the first jacket foundations for the 109MW Taiwan Power Company (TPC) offshore wind farm phase 1 demonstration project.
A total of nine jacket foundations, weighing 1100 metric tonnes each, have been installed on the seabed by offshore installation vessel Aegir, chartered from Heerema Marine Contractors for the campaign.
The project is located 10km off the coast of Fangyuan in Changhua County.
Onshore, the civil works for the connection of the offshore wind farm are completed.
Jan De Nul offshore renewables manager Peter De Pooter said: “Two years have passed prior to installing the first jacket foundation offshore. We are therefore more than delighted that the installation has been successful.”
In total, the TPC offshore wind farm phase 1 demonstration project will comprise 21 offshore wind turbines, each installed on a jacket foundation, which are anchored to the seabed by four steel pin piles.
Installation of the pin piles started in June. After installing the jackets on the pin piles, the void between these two is grouted to create a firm connection.
All 21 jackets have been manufactured at the South Korean Shipyard Company Samkang, and measure 55-62 metres in overall height. Five trips are needed for the two chartered heavy transport vessels to bring all jackets from South Korea to Taiwan.
Each jacket includes a 7.2 metre-high transition piece to support the towers carrying the Hitachi 5.2MW turbines.
Each jacket comes with two davit cranes for cargo hoisting and two boat landings to enable personnel access. The jackets are equipped with offshore accessories such as navigation lights, foghorns and CCTV cameras.
For the connection of the subsea cable at the landfall with the onshore substation of Changhua County, Jan De Nul Group constructed 13km of duct banks in collaboration with the Taiwanese company Star Energy Corporation.
Consortium partner Hitachi is mobilising the turbine components to the marshalling port of Taichung, to allow preparation for offshore installation in August with Jan De Nul’s Taillevent vessel.
The project was awarded to the Jan De Nul–Hitachi consortium in February 2018.
Jan De Nul Group is responsible for the full balance of plant, including design, fabrication and installation of the foundations, and the provision of the offshore vessel for the installation of the wind turbines.
Also included is significant electrical scope, including the supply and installation of the cables both onshore and offshore, as well as upgrading an electrical substation.
Hitachi is in charge of manufacturing, assembly, installation and other works related to the 21 Typhoon certified offshore wind turbines using a downwind rotor.
The consortium is responsible for the first five years operation and maintenance of the wind farm.