Jan De Nul nears completion of fabrication of foundations for Taiwan’s Changhua Offshore Wind Farm

Jan De Nul Group reaches a next important milestone in the construction of the Taiwan Power Company Offshore Windfarm Phase 1 Project – Demonstration. The fabrication of the foundations for the 21 offshore wind turbines nears its completion. The first four jackets will be transported to Taiwan in the first half of May 2020.

The Changhua Offshore Wind Farm contract was signed with the Consortium Jan De Nul-Hitachi on 30 April 2018. The project entails the manufacturing and installation of 21 5.2MW offshore wind turbines for the Changhua Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of Fangyuan in Central Western Taiwan. The works also include manufacturing and installation of all equipment as well as operation and maintenance for a period of five years.

21 jackets of 60 metres high

For this offshore wind farm, 21 jackets of 60 m high, weighing more than 1,100 tonnes each and comprising all together more than 23,000 tonnes of steel are being manufactured at the South Korean Shipyard Company Samkang. Construction started in the summer of 2019 and the first jacket will be completed by the second half of April, well in time of the construction schedule.

The jackets include the Transition Piece (TP) for the installation of the 5.2MW turbines. The TPs have a maximum diameter of 5.40 m and a maximum height of 7 m.

84 pin piles of which a part Taiwan-made

Each jacket will be attached to the seabed by means of 4 pin piles. The pin piles with a diameter of 3 m, a maximum length of 82 m and maximum weight of 310 tonnes, are manufactured at a South Korean fabrication yard managed by the Scottish company Edgen Murray. First load-out is planned in mid-April.

A number of pin piles have been manufactured in Taiwan by the steel fabricator Ming Rong Yuan Business Co., Ltd. These pin piles are the very first Taiwan-made foundation components for the offshore wind farms in the country.

Transport to Taiwan

The 21 jackets will be transported in five batches from South Korea to Taiwan. A first batch of four jackets will depart to Taiwan in the first half of May. A 1,500 tonnes crane vessel will lift them onto a heavy transport vessel which will sail to Taichung Port. From there, the jackets will travel to their final destination off the coast of Fangyuan.

Consortium Jan De Nul-Hitachi

Jan De Nul Group is responsible for the design, fabrication and installation of the foundations, the installation of the wind turbines, the supply and installation of the cables off- and onshore as well as for the upgrading of the electrical substation. Hitachi Ltd. is in charge of manufacturing, assembly and other works related to the offshore wind turbines with downwind rotor. Particular feature of the design is that the foundations and wind turbines are designed to withstand cyclonic waves and winds, and earthquake loads.

Subsequently, the Consortium is responsible over five years for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the offshore wind farm.