CIP Changfang & Xidao Offshore Wind Farm on June 28 unfolded their transportation and installation procedures, where a large construction ship that measures 200m in length will transport 48 underwater pin piles that are 70m in height and 320 tons in weight from Kaohsiung to the wind farm in batches.
CIP Changfang & Xidao Offshore Wind Farm is the first demonstration site for the comprehensive localization of wind power in Taiwan, and all onshore, offshore, and underwater components and parts, as well as dozens of wind turbine parts, are fully localized. The wind farm will be equipped with 62 units of the largest commercialized 9.5MW Vestas offshore wind turbines, and the underwater pin piles required by the wind farm will be fully supplied by local manufacturers, including CTCI for 117 units and Century for 69 units, making it the first wind farm in Taiwan to adopt 100% localized pin piles. In addition, the localization of ocean engineering for the wind farm has been achieved 2 years in advance, which helps Taiwanese manufacturers in integrating with emerging international industries.
Boskalis Hwachi Offshore Wind Taiwan, a joint venture of Hwachi Construction and Boskalis, will serve as the engineering contractor and the service provider for the wind farm. The heavy crane barge used for this construction belongs to Boskalis, and measures at 216m in length, which is about the size of two football fields. Apart from a sizeable deck space, the barge is configured with a 3,000 ton crane that is used to hoist the pin piles of the wind farm. A dynamic positioning system is also configured on the barge in order to facilitate fixed-point operations at the Taiwan Strait where the sea condition is stern.
This is also the first mission for Boskalis Hwachi Offshore Wind Taiwan in the country. The joint venture cultivates young ocean engineering talents by dispatching Taiwanese seamen to the Netherlands to undertake professional offshore wind power and marine engineering training. The CIP is also actively engaged in cultivation programs, and has sent several young colleagues to participate in various missions in the sea.
Changfang & Xidao Offshore Wind Farm's CEO Dennis Sanou pointed out that the wind farm has urgently adjusted the dispatch process of the construction team under the ordeal and entry restrictions imposed by the pandemic, and finally managed to commence the installation of the underwater pin piles, which demonstrates the high level of discipline and professional capability of the execution team.
Sanou also commented that the existing entry restrictions have created an enormous degree of pressure to the execution of the overall project, where numerous professional technicians of construction and production are still rejected of entries, and hopes that the government is able to enforce faster disposals that are also transparent.
Tsai Chia-han, the Director of the Board for Hwachi Offshore Wind Taiwan, commented that the underwater pin piles used for the Changfang & Xidao Offshore Wind Farm are on average almost 70m in length and 320 tons in weight. They require a large consumption of time and labor during transportation and installation, as well as a high level of professional technical threshold. The joint venture is now able to establish technical exchanges by forming an international team and cultivating local talents by the construction of an intern system, all thanks to the participation of the transportation and installation of pin piles of the CIP Changfang & Xidao Offshore Wind Farm, which was unattainable in the past.
Hsu Nai-wen, the Managing Director of CIP Taiwan, emphasized that the wind farm is the only fully localized demonstration site in the country, and an on-time delivery will eradicate numerous opinions that smear localized wind power.
(Cover photo source: CIP)
