Final Turbines Installed At Taiwanese 120 Megawatt Formosa 1 Phase 2 Offshore Wind Farm

Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted announced last week that the final wind turbine had been installed at the 120 megawatt (MW) Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind farm off the coast of Taiwan, which is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in Taiwan.

Begun in May, completion of the wind turbine installation was accomplished despite four typhoons and other weather impacts which impacted the project, only a month after first power was generated from the project. The remaining turbines yet to be commissioned will be brought online by the end of the year in time for commercial operation.

Installation of the 20 6 MW wind turbines was carried out by three major subcontractors, including JDN for foundation and cable installation, Siemens Gamesa for wind turbine installation, operation, and maintenance, and Fortune Electric for onshore electrical systems. The project is owned by a joint venture between Ørsted (35%), JERA (32.5%), Macquarie Capital (25%), and Swancor Holdings (7.5%).

“The Formosa 1 project team and the joint venture partners, Ørsted, JERA, Macquarie Capital, and Swancor, have faced various challenges in the past few months,” explained Formosa 1 chairman, the President of Ørsted Asia Pacific, Matthias Bausenwein. “The installation of the last wind turbine not only marks the completion of the construction work, but also symbolises that we now have built valuable construction experience in Taiwan. All Formosa 1 wind turbines will start powering soon, and then reach commercial operation by the end of the year. Formosa 1 will become a paradigm for Taiwan’s energy transition.”

As the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in Taiwanese waters, Formosa 1 leads a pipeline of at least 5.4 gigawatts (GW) awarded by the Taiwanese government in 2018 including 3.8 GW of awarded offshore wind capacity awarded in May 2018 which was followed a month later with 1.6 GW of capacity awarded.