The 1 GW Hai Long offshore wind project, jointly developed by Northland Power, Gentari, and Mitsui & Co., has produced its first power, marking the successful energisation of the project and connection to Taipower’s grid in Taiwan.
The milestone comes ahead of schedule, initially planned for the second half of 2025, according to the developers. The developers also commissioned both onshore and offshore substations, further demonstrating the project’s progress towards full commercial operations, expected in 2027.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the government, think tanks, contractors, and local communities for their strong support. Moving forward, Hai Long Project will continue to collaborate closely with all stakeholders, upholding the highest HSE standards to ensure the steady progress of wind farm construction,” said Tim Kittelhake , CEO and Project Director of the Hai Long Project.
“From this year through next year, we aim to complete installation and achieve phased grid connection.”
Installation of 14 out of 73 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD turbines has been completed for the Hai Long Project.
The power generated at 66 kV is transmitted via inter-array cables to the offshore substation, where it is converted to 220 kV. It is then delivered through export cables to the onshore substation, reduced down to 161 kV, and finally integrated into Taipower’s ChangOne Grid substation, connecting it to the national electricity grid.
In March this year, the offshore substation for Hai Long 3 was installed, followed by the first wind turbine installation and onshore substation energisation test in April. Last month, the energisation tests for subsea cables and the Hai Long 2 offshore substation, installed in May 2024, were completed, enabling grid connection.
This month, CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) , using its heavy lift vessel Green Jade, finished the installation of all 219 pin piles at the Hai Long sites, located approximately 45-70 kilometres off the Changhua coast in the Taiwan Strait.
With a planned capacity of 1 GW, Hai Long is said to play a vital role in supporting Taiwan’s renewable energy target of 15 GW of offshore wind between 2026 and 2035.
Once operational, the project will be among the largest offshore wind farms in the Asia Pacific region, providing renewable energy to over one million Taiwanese homes.