• A total of 21 wind turbines in the Phase I Offshore Wind Power Project of Taipower completed the initial grid connection on August 27.

A total of 21 wind turbines in the Phase I Offshore Wind Power Project of Taipower completed the initial grid connection yesterday (August 27), and continuous trial operations as well as adjustments will be followed. After completing the required tests, they will be ready for dispatching. The outbreak of the pandemic last year (2020) has affected the progress of offshore wind power projects around the world, said Taipower. Despite the challenges, Taipower's construction team still managed to eliminate all the difficulties and dispatched large supporting ships to assist in the construction work during the unfavorable winter time, overcoming the harsh sea weather. This year, the submarine cable burying and wind turbine hoisting projects were successfully completed. As of yesterday, all wind turbines were connected to the grid, becoming the first project to be connected to the grid for the offshore wind farm in the coast of Changhua.

Taipower said that the construction of the offshore wind power project will be affected by sea weather conditions, and the preferred time of construction is typically from April to September, making every second counts. The Phase I Offshore Wind Power Project of Taipower started the installation of underwater structures and wind turbines last year, and was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed the arrival of working vessels in Taiwan, and shortened the available time for construction. Despite the delay, Taipower worked hard to achieve the set goals even during the period of the northeast monsoon. In order to overcome the difficulty of tower climbing operations due to the high waves, a dynamic compensation gangway was urgently introduced from Singapore to enable workers to perform the tower operations. At the end of 2020, the construction of two wind turbines were successfully completed and connected to the grid for power generation.

• Taipower's construction team managed to eliminate all the difficulties and dispatched large supporting ships equipped with dynamic compensation gangway to assist in the construction work during the unfavorable winter time, overcoming the harsh sea weather.

Taipower pointed out that the 21 wind turbines of the Phase I Offshore Wind Power Project completed the submarine cable burying operations and the hoisting operations in May and June of this year, respectively. Furthermore, tests such as bolt locking, cable connection, submarine cable connection, cold test, submarine cable pressurization, and hot test were carried out to complete the initial grid connection. After completing the trial operations and adjustments, construction completion inspection for the electric utility industry can be applied in accordance with related regulations of the Bureau of Energy. After finishing the subsequent on-site inspection and review procedures arranged by the Bureau of Energy, and receiving the electric utility operation license, the commercial operation of the wind turbines can begin.

According to Taipower, the construction site of the Offshore Wind Power Project is located about 8 kilometers west of Fangyuan Township, Changhua County, covering an area of about 836 hectares, which is equivalent to the size of 32 Daan Parks. It is one of the offshore wind farm demonstration projects conducted by the Bureau of Energy. The project has 21 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 109.2 MW, which can generate an average of 360 GWh of electricity per year to supply electricity to nearly 90,000 households for one year. Taipower also expressed its gratitude for the support and assistance of the Maritime and Port Bureau, MOTC (Ministry of Transportation and Communications), the Central Taiwan Maritime Affairs Center (MOTC), the Changhua County Government, the Changhua District Fishermen's Association, and the local legislators.

Taipower will continue to comply with the government's energy transformation policy, actively develop clean as well as renewable energy, and move towards low-carbon electricity, while ensuring the stability of power supply, making contribution to economic development and environmental protection.

Spokesperson： Chief Administrator, Ting-Shu Zhang
Tel：(02)2366-6271/ 0936-625-552
Email：u742433@taipower.com.tw

Contact Person：Director of Department of Construction, Qi-Zhong Chen
Tel：(02)2366-6920/ 0963-051-596
Email：u072660@taipower.com.tw