The inauguration event for the Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore windfarms was attended by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (centre) and Ørsted president and group chief executive Mads Nipper (right) (source: Ørsted)
Ørsted has formally inaugurated the Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore windfarms in Taiwan, the largest such projects in the Asia Pacific region
With a total installed capacity of 900MW, the windfarms are now in full operation and fully connected to the grid, making them the largest of their kind in Taiwan and in the Asia Pacific region.
A ceremony marking the inauguration of the windfarms was held at Ørsted’s operations and maintenance hub at the Port of Taichung, with guests including Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
The President thanked Ørsted for investing in Taiwan and bringing renewable technologies to Taiwan. She recalled that eight years ago, she went to see the first two demonstration wind turbines at the Formosa 1 offshore windfarm. Soon after that, Ørsted started development of Formosa 1 and the 128-MW project, which was inaugurated in 2019 as Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore windfarm.
The President congratulated Ørsted for completing the Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore projects and said, “It took us eight years to turn the words ‘energy transition’ into actual windfarms in operation. Taiwan now has Asia Pacific’s largest offshore windfarm and our own offshore wind supply chain.”
Ørsted president and group chief executive Mads Nipper said inauguration of the windfarms is a “landmark achievement for Ørsted and for Taiwan.”
He continued, “Greater Changhua 1 and 2a are our first GW-scale offshore windfarms outside Europe. They are also Taiwan’s first utility-scale far-shore windfarms and the largest of their kind in APAC, reaffirming Taiwan as the frontrunner in the region.
“Ørsted has a record 7.6 GW of offshore wind projects under construction worldwide, including our next big project in Taiwan, 920-MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4.”
Ørsted chief executive APAC Per Mejnert Kristensen described Greater Changhua 1 and 2a as “a flagship project of historic significance.”
He said the projects “spearheaded the establishment of the local offshore wind industry and contributed significantly to Taiwan’s energy transition and net-zero goals.”
Ørsted began offshore construction of the windfarms in March 2021 and recently announced the successful installation of all 111 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines, which are now supplying renewable energy to Taiwan’s electricity grid.
A 605.2-MW windfarm, Greater Changhua 1 is co-owned by Ørsted (50%) and Mercury Taiwan Holdings, a consortium of CDPQ, a global investment group, and Cathay PE, with a combined ownership stake of 50%. The 294.8-MW Greater Changhua 2a is 100% owned by Ørsted.
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