TPC Changhua Phase 1

Location

The TPC Changhua Phase 1 offshore wind farm is located approximately 8 kilometers off the coast of Fangyuan Township in Central Western Taiwan.

Capacity and Turbines

The wind farm consists of 21 offshore wind turbines, each with a capacity of 5.2 MW. This brings the total installed capacity to 109.2 MW. The turbines are designed with a downwind rotor and are certified to withstand typhoons, seismic activities, and various ambient temperatures.

Project Developers and Contractors

• The project is developed by a consortium comprising Jan De Nul Group and Hitachi Ltd. Jan De Nul is responsible for the design, fabrication, and installation of the foundations, the installation of the wind turbines, and the supply and installation of both onshore and offshore cables. They also upgraded the electrical substation.
• Hitachi Ltd. is in charge of manufacturing, assembly, and other works related to the offshore wind turbines.

Foundations and Installation

• The wind turbines are installed on jacket foundations, each 60 meters high and weighing over 1,100 tonnes. These jackets include a transition piece (TP) for the turbine installation. Each jacket is anchored to the seabed by four steel pin piles, with some of these piles manufactured in Taiwan.
• The installation of the first jacket foundation began in August 2020, and the first turbine was installed shortly thereafter.

Electrical Infrastructure

• The project includes the installation of inter-array cables and export cables. Jan De Nul’s Cable-Laying Vessel Connector and Willem de Vlamingh were used for laying these cables.
• The onshore cable installation works involved connecting the existing onshore substation to the cable interface near the shore, with 13 kilometers of duct banks and 2 kilometers of horizontal directional drillings.

Substation Upgrade

• The onshore substation in Da-Cheng was upgraded to receive power generated by the new offshore wind farm. This upgrade included the installation of new electrical equipment such as high-voltage transformers, switchgear, a SCADA control room, and an emergency power supply.

Operation and Maintenance

• The Jan De Nul-Hitachi consortium is responsible for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the offshore wind farm for a period of five years starting from the completion of the project in 2021.

Timeline

• Construction works began in September 2018 with preparatory onshore cable duct installation.
• Fabrication of the different components started in 2019.
• The first foundation components were transported to the site in May 2020.
• The first electricity was generated in December 2020.

Challenges

• The project faced significant delays due to restrictions and new regulations implemented by authorities in Taiwan and globally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.