The first of 66 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines that will make up the Greater Changhua 2b & 4 offshore wind farm in Taiwan has been installed.
The major milestone for Ørsted’s 920 MW offshore wind project also marks a milestone for Siemens Gamesa, whose SG 14-236 DD wind turbine model is installed offshore for the first time. This is the company’s model with a 236-metre rotor, while SG 14-222 DD has already been installed on offshore wind farms, including Sofia and Moray West .
“This is the first-ever installation of the SG 14-236 wind turbine globally, and we are proud to see it happen in Taiwan – a growing hub for offshore wind innovation” , Siemens Gamesa said in a social media post on 16 April.
The first wind turbine at the Taiwanese project site was installed shortly after the first suction bucket jacket (SBJ) foundation. Aside from being the first project to use Siemens Gamesa 14-236 DD wind turbines, Changhua 2b & 4 is also the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the Asia-Pacific region to use SBJ foundations.
Ørsted commenced the offshore construction of the 920 MW offshore wind farm in February this year, and Cadeler’s new vessel Wind Maker arrived in Taichung the following month ahead of wind turbine installation work.
The Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind sites are located 35-60 kilometres off the coast of Changhua County, next to the 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a, which are in full operation and also built by Ørsted.