Hai Long Offshore Wind Project and Samkang M&T have held a ceremonial first cut of steel for jacket foundations fabrication for the Hai Long offshore wind farms.
In August 2022, Hai Long and Samkang M&T signed a foundations fabrication contract, by which the latter will supply a total of 52 jackets by December 2024.
The jacket foundations will exceed 93 metres in height and weigh well over 2,000 tonnes with all supporting equipment.
These jackets will be the largest foundations implemented thus far in Taiwan’s nascent offshore wind industry, supporting Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbines that will be installed on Hai Long offshore wind farms, the developer said.
The ceremony was held at Samkang’s sub-assembly shop in Korea on 17 January.
“The first cut of steel for these jackets mark an important milestone for the Hai Long project, as it signals the start of a critically important fabrication workstream for our project. Starting the fabrication in line with our original manufacturing schedules important for the future success in project installation, and we look forward to seeing these jackets become a reality”, said Frank Spee , Hai Long EPCI Director.
According to Hai Long Offshore Wind Project, the offshore installation will be carried out in 2024-2025, followed by commissioning and grid connection in 2025-2026.
Hai Long’s three separate grid allocations include the 300 MW Hai Long 2a, the 232 MW Hai Long 2b, and the 512 MW Hai Long 3.
Samkang M&T will provide jacket foundations for the Hai Long 2b and 3, while Century Iron & Steel Industrial (CIS) and Century Wind Power (CWP) were selected as the preferred suppliers of jacket foundations, including transition pieces, for the Hai Long 2a project.
The Hai Long project will be built around 50 kilometres off Taiwan’s coast, in water depths of up to 55 metres, and will be one of the largest offshore wind developments in Taiwan with a total capacity of more than 1 GW across three phases.