Asia’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Commissioned by Ørsted in Taiwan

Two sections of the massive Greater Changhua wind farm are now operating, becoming the largest in Asia (Orsted)

PUBLISHED APR 25, 2024 8:31 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

Ørsted along with officials of the government of Taiwan gathered today to celebrate the commission of the first sections of the Greater Changhau offshore wind farms. In addition to being the largest of its kind in Asia, the wind farm doubled Taiwan’s offshore wind energy capacity and it is Ørsted’s first gigawatt-scale offshore wind farm outside of Europe.

"It took us eight years to turn the words 'energy transition' in our policy papers into actual wind farms in operation,” said Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. “Taiwan now has Asia-Pacific's largest offshore wind farm and our own offshore wind supply chain."

They gathered at the operations and maintenance hub located at the Port of Taichung, in the northwest of Taiwan and along the Taiwan Strait. The commissioning marked the official completion of the Changhau 1 & 2a sections of the massive project, which combined provide 900 NW of capacity. Ørsted is already working on the next phases, 2b and 4, which combine will add another 920 MW when they are commissioned.

“Greater Changhua 1 and 2a is a flagship project of historic significance,” said Per Mejnert Kristensen, CEO of Region APAC at Ørsted. “This project has spearheaded the establishment of the local offshore wind industry as well as contributed significantly to Taiwan’s energy transition and net-zero goals.”

Ørsted began offshore construction in March 2021 and recently announced the successful installation of all 111 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines, which are now supplying renewable energy to Taiwan’s electricity grid. The 605.2 MW offshore wind farm Greater Changhua 1 is co-owned by Ørsted (50 percent) and Mercury Taiwan Holdings, a consortium of CDPQ, a global investment group, and Cathay PE, with a combined ownership stake of 50 percent. The 294.8 MW Greater Changhua 2a is 100 percent owned by Ørsted.

The company received the award in April 2018 for the first portions of the area. The first power from the site was generated two years ago in April 2022. It is also Taiwan's farthest offshore site located between 22 and 37 miles from the coast.

Officials noted that Ørsted is playing a leading role in Taiwan’s energy transition. The company arrived in the country as co-owner of Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1. It was extended from a capacity of just 8 MW to 128 MW in 2019.

The next phase is 2b and 4 which are expected to be completed before the end of 2025. The company was awarded the extension in June 2018 and in 2020 entered into a power purchase agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Worldwide, Ørsted currently has 7.6 GW of offshore wind projects under construction. This includes the 920 MW in the next phases of Greater Changhua.