Orsted has achieved successful delivery of first power from the 900MW Greater Changhua 1&2a Offshore Wind Farm, off Taiwan.
The first power was delivered as scheduled with the installation and energisation of the first batch of offshore wind turbines.
The electricity was transferred to Orsted’s onshore substations via array cables, offshore substations, and export cables.
The renewable energy was fed into the national grid via Taipower’s substation.
A total of 111 Siemens Gamesa 8.0-167 DD wind turbines will be installed at Changhua 1&2a.
Greater Changhua 1&2a is the largest offshore wind project in Taiwan and the developer’s first large-scale offshore wind farm in the Asia-Pacific region.
Located 35-60 km in the Taiwan Strait, Greater Changhua 1&2a will “significantly support” Taiwan’s fast-track build-out of renewables and provide the clean energy to Taiwan’s export industries.
Orsted Taiwan general manager Christy Wang said: “Delivering the first power as scheduled is a major milestone for both Orsted and Taiwan.
“Since the 900MW capacity was first awarded to Orsted in April 2018 through the grid allocation process, our team has spared no efforts to develop and construct Greater Changhua 1&2a and achieve first power only four years later.”
Wang added: “This has not been an easy task, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic challenges during the past two years.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for all the support from government agencies, local and international suppliers, as well as local stakeholders.”
Frida Persson, co-CEO of the Greater Changhua 1&2a Offshore Wind Farm, said: “We are proud of the team we have built, encompassing thousands of people from multiple leading Taiwanese and international contractors from across the globe.
“We are determined to complete construction this year, meeting all quality, health, safety, and environmental (QHSE) standards and fulfilling our environment impact assessment commitments.”
The 900MW offshore wind construction project continues at “full speed”.
Orsted is also the major shareholder and co-owner of Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1, which was extended from 8MW to 128MW in 2019.