Zhong Neng - Phase 1

Project Overview

The Zhong Neng offshore wind power project is located off the west coast of Changhua County in central Taiwan, approximately 10-17 km offshore.

The project is developed by a joint venture between China Steel Corporation (CSC) and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) through its Copenhagen Infrastructure IV (CI IV) fund. CSC holds a 51% stake, while CIP holds the remaining 49%.

The Zhong Neng - Phase 1 wind farm has a total electricity generation capacity of 298 MW (or 294,500 kW).
The project features 31 Vestas V174-9.5MW offshore wind turbines. Each turbine has a rated power of 9.5 MW, with 85m-long blades, a rotor diameter of 174m, and a swept area of 23,779m². The nacelle dimensions are 21m-long, 9m-wide, and 9m-high, weighing approximately 390 tonnes.

The wind farm is spread over an area of 36.54 km² and is adjacent to CIP’s Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm. The water depth in the area ranges between 27m and 40m.

Construction of the wind farm commenced in 2023, with the first turbine installed in May 2024. The project was completed ahead of schedule, with full grid connection expected by the end of 2024.
The project received local content plan approval from the Taiwanese government in November 2019, and the final investment decision (FID) was made in December 2021.

The project is financed through an agreement with a consortium of 20 banks, securing £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) in loans. The banks involved include the Bank of Taiwan, Mega International Commercial Bank, CTBC Bank, Taiwan Cooperative Bank, First Commercial Bank, and Land Bank of Taiwan.

A 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) was signed with the state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) in February 2019.

Vestas was contracted to supply the turbines and provide turbine services for a period of 15 years. Vestas will also procure components from Taiwan-based companies under the local content plan.
Seaway 7 was contracted for the transportation and installation of the submarine cable system. CDWE was selected to transport and install the wind turbines using the heavy lift and installation vessel Green Jade.
TECO was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the onshore substation.

The submarine cable system includes 29 inner array grid cables and four 66kV landfall export cables, with a total length of approximately 196 km.

Once fully operational, the Zhong Neng wind farm will generate up to 1.1 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year, sufficient to power approximately 300,000 Taiwanese households. The project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by about 550,000 tonnes annually.

The project meets the highest localization requirements in Taiwan’s offshore wind power history, with significant involvement of local companies in manufacturing and supply chain activities.