CO2 Leak at Hai Long Onshore Substation Claims Life

August 27, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

This article was updated at 10:15 CET on 28 August 2024 after a response from Hai Long Offshore Wind.

The CO2 leak that hospitalised 17 people working at the Hai Long onshore substation site in Changhua, Taiwan, on 20 August has claimed at least one life. On 27 August, the Hai Long Offshore Wind consortium issued a statement saying there was “loss of life” following the incident. A spokesperson for the consortium confirmed to offshoreWIND.biz that one person passed away.

As reported last week, 17 people were rushed to a hospital after what the initial assessment showed to be a CO2 leak from the fire suppression equipment at the Hai Long Changhua onshore substation, as confirmed by Northland Power, one of the three Hai Long consortium partners, on 20 August.

The onshore substation for the 1,022 MW Hai Long offshore wind project is being built by TECO Electric & Machinery, which said on 21 August that ten of the 17 affected people were discharged from the hospital with minor injuries, three workers were recovering and under observation, with four workers hospitalised in serious condition.

Today, 27 August, the Hai Long Offshore Wind consortium issued a statement saying: “We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the Hai Long Offshore Wind Project Changhua onshore substation site on August 20th. We extend our sincerest condolences to all the injured and their families, and we express our deepest sadness for the loss of life.”

According to information in China Times, one of the workers at the substation was pronounced dead on the evening of 26 August after being in a coma. Taiwanese media also reports that three people lost signs of life when the CO2 leak occurred on 20 August.

On 28 August, a Hai Long Offshore Wind spokesperson confirmed one person passed away.

“Unfortunately, there has been one casualty, two individuals remain hospitalized, and the others have been discharged”, the consortium’s spokesperson said in an email statement to offshoreWIND.biz.

“Regarding the cause of the incident, the Hai Long Offshore Wind Project and the onshore substation contractor, TECO Electric & Machinery, will continue to actively cooperate with the relevant authorities and judicial bodies in conducting a comprehensive investigation.”

While the work at the onshore substation was halted last week so an investigation into the root cause could take place, work at the offshore site(s) continues.

The first wind turbine jacket foundation has now been installed after 111 out of the total 219 pin piles were placed in position. This is according to CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) whose installation vessel Green Jade is performing the work.

“This marks a significant milestone, showcasing a swift and seamless installation pace and reaffirming the vessel’s adaptability in handling large-scale jackets and pin piles at deep water depths, even under the challenging conditions of the Taiwan Strait”, CDWE said in a social media post on 27 August.

Both jacket foundations for the project’s offshore substations (OSS) were installed earlier, with the substation at the Hai Long 2 site fully installed as of May 2024. The jacket for the OSS at the Hai Long 3 site was placed at its designated location earlier this month.

The offshore site of the 1,022 MW Hai Long wind farm is located approximately 45-70 kilometres off the Changhua coast in the Taiwan Strait.

Hai Long comprises two offshore wind farms, the 518 MW Hai Long 2 and the 504 MW Hai Long 3 and is being developed in three phases as Hai Long 2 is further split into two smaller offshore wind farms, the 294 MW Hai Long 2a and the 224 MW Hai Long 2b.

The three-legged jacket foundations for Hai Long 2b and Hai Long 3 are being manufactured by Samkang M&T and for Hai Long 2a by Century Iron & Steel Industrial (CIS) and Century Wind Power (CWP).