The very first jacket foundations have been installed in Taiwanese waters, approximately 10km off the coast of Fangyuan in Changhua County. Onshore, the civil works for the connection of the offshore wind farm are completed.
Up to today a total of nine jacket foundations, weighing approximately 1,100 metric tonnes each, have been installed on the seabed by means of the offshore installation vessel Aegir, which Jan De Nul Group chartered from Dutch Heerema Marine Contractors for the foundation installation campaign.
“Two years have passed prior to installing the first jacket foundation offshore. We are therefore more than delighted that the installation has been successful”, says Peter De Pooter, Manager Offshore Renewables at Jan De Nul Group.
9 jackets installed, 12 to follow
In total, the TPC Offshore Wind Farm will comprise 21 offshore wind turbines, each installed on a jacket foundation, which are anchored to the seabed by four steel pin piles. Installation of these pin piles started in June this year. After installing the jackets on the pin piles, the void between these two is grouted to create a firm connection.
All 21 jackets have been manufactured at the South Korean Shipyard Company Samkang, and measure between 55 m and 62 m in overall height. Five trips are needed for the two chartered heavy transport vessels to bring all jackets from South Korea to Taiwan.
The jackets include a 7.2 m high Transition Piece (TP) with a diameter of 5.4 m to support the towers carrying the Hitachi 5.2 MW turbines. Each jacket comes with two davit cranes for cargo hoisting and two boat landings to enable personnel access. The jackets are equipped with specialized offshore accessories such as navigation lights, foghorns and CCTV cameras.
Onshore connection completed
In the meantime, Jan De Nul Group has completed all onshore civil works needed for the connection of the offshore wind farm to the Taiwanese power grid.
For the connection of the subsea cable at the landfall with the onshore substation of Changhua County, Jan De Nul Group constructed 13 km of duct banks in collaboration with the Taiwanese company Star Energy Corporation.
WTGs getting ready for offshore installation
In the meantime, the offshore foundation installation of 84 pin piles and 21 jackets is making progress.
Consortium partner Hitachi Ltd. continues to mobilize the turbine components to the marshalling port of Taichung, to allow preparation for offshore installation in August with Jan De Nul’s Offshore Jack-Up Installation Vessel Taillevent.
About ‘Taiwan Power Company Offshore Windfarm Phase 1 Project – Demonstration’
The ‘Taiwan Power Company Offshore Windfarm Phase 1 Project – Demonstration’ has been awarded to the Consortium Jan De Nul–Hitachi in February 2018.
Jan De Nul Group is responsible for the full balance of plant, including design, fabrication and installation of the foundations, and the provision of the offshore vessel for the installation of the wind turbines. Also included is significant electrical scope, including the supply and installation of the cables both onshore and offshore, as well as upgrading an electrical substation.
Hitachi Ltd. is in charge of manufacturing, assembly, installation and other works related to the 21 Typhoon certified offshore wind turbines using a downwind rotor, each with a capacity of 5.2MW.
The Jan De Nul–Hitachi consortium is responsible for the first five years operation and maintenance (O&M) of the TPC Changhua offshore wind farm Phase 1.