Ørsted Tests Second Greater Changhua Offshore Substation

The commissioning team working at Ørsted’s 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a wind farms off Taiwan has completed power-on tests on the project’s second offshore substation (OSS).

According to the developer’s social media update, the testing was completed on 1 January, following the same work done on the first offshore substation in mid-December 2021.

During the testing, all the low voltage and utility systems onboard the platform are powered up to check that the power equipment remained in good condition after being shipped to Taiwan, a spokesperson for Ørsted said in a social media post when the first OSS was tested last month.

The two substations, manufactured by Keppel Offshore & Marine, are the first-ever to be installed in Taiwan’s waters.

Keppel O&M completed the construction of the jacket foundations for the substations in the second quarter of 2021 and saw them being installed by Heerema Marine Contractors’ heavy-lift vessel Aegir in May and June of the last year.

In early November 2021, Aegir placed two substation topsides on their respective jacked foundations.

Located some 35 to 50 kilometres off the coast of Changhua County, the 900 MW wind farms will comprise the two substations and 111 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2022.

Once operational, the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a will be Taiwan’s first far shore and large-scale offshore wind project.