Greater Changhua 1 and 2 is the largest and farthest offshore wind farm in Taiwan in terms of installed capacity and distance from the shore. Ørsted, in collaboration with regulatory authorities, suppliers, and the operations and maintenance team, has overcome significant challenges during offshore construction, particularly amid the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, 107 turbines out of the total 111 wind turbines are completed, with nearly 85% of them connected to the grid, representing approximately 700 MW, making it the largest grid-connected capacity for a single wind farm in Taiwan.
Christy Wang, Chairperson of Ørsted Taiwan, says, "Since the beginning of gradually connecting Greater Changhua wind farms, we saw consistently and steadily clean electricity produced, especially during the winter months. This is evidence that the favourable wind conditions in the Taiwan Strait and the carbon reduction benefits that large-scale wind farms can bring.
Looking ahead to the new year, we will start installing the final few wind turbines in February and moving full speed ahead to complete grid connection. We are committed to ensuring the successful completion and operation of Greater Changhua 1 and 2a, contributing to a clean and sustainable future for Taiwan for decades to come."
The 605 MW Greater Changhua 1 is co-owned by Ørsted (50 %) as well as Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Cathay PE, with a combined ownership stake of 50 %.
Building Operational Strength for Stable Supply of Clean Energy
The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) was concluded two months ago, where countries committed to tripling renewable energy deployment to achieve sufficient clean power production for carbon reduction goals.
Taking the Greater Changhua 1 and 2a wind farm as example, one 8 MW wind turbine used in the project can produce enough clean energy a year equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide reduction of 120 Daan Forest Parks, with the total amount CO2 reduction of the entire fully operational offshore wind farms equivalent to approximately 13,500 Daan parks.
To ensure the outperformance of wind turbines during decades of years of the wind farm operation and lifecycle, having a professional operations and maintenance team, along with cutting-edge equipment, plays a critical role.
As the only offshore wind company with a full-lifecycle business model encompassing development, construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind farms, Ørsted from the outset in Taiwan has been actively deploying hardware for local offshore wind farm operation and maintenance and building expertise from scratch.
Ørsted's " Operation Taiwan Team" has been fully dedicated to grid connection and maintenance work for the Greater Changhua wind farms. A professional team of dozens of Taiwanese people are based in the Ørsted Taiwan Offshore Wind Farm Maintenance Centre at Port of Taichung, utilising the world's first customized Taiwan Service Operation Vessel (SOV) named TSS Pioneer to ensure the optimal performance of wind farms for stable supply of clean energy.
The O&M centre is the first of its kind Ørsted built outside of Europe and is currently the largest and most iconic offshore wind farm operations and maintenance base in the Asia-Pacific region. It is capable of handling all operational and maintenance tasks for the total 2.4 GW capacity of the Greater Changhua wind farm clusters once fully delivered.
Ørsted is nearly completing the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a and is pushing forward the 920 MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms, scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. The total of 1.82 GW of installed capacity will produce annual clean power equivalent to the power production of three coal-fired units at the Taichung Power Plant and is sufficient for two million Taiwanese households.
The company will continue working to provide stable and large-scale clean electricity in Taiwan, reinforcing its role as a steadfast and reliable partner in Taiwan's renewable energy journey.
