Heerema Marine Contractors has secured its second large offshore wind contract in Taiwan. Ørsted has contracted the company to transport and install 111 turbine foundations and two large offshore substations for the Greater Changhua offshore wind project which will generate a total power of 2.4 GW. 

The Greater Changhua offshore wind projects consist of four sites in the Taiwan Strait, from 35 km to 60 km off the coast of Changhua County. Ørsted has obtained site exclusivity for all four sites which have a planned total generation capacity of 2.4GW.

The contract for Heerema is for the 900MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore wind farms. Next to the transport and installation of the foundations and offshore substations, Heerema will also be responsible for onshore marshalling services as well as the seabed preparations and scour protection.

Aegir

The Dutch offshore contractor will utilise its heavy-lift vessel Aegir, which is already in the area for another project, to execute the job. Heerema sometimes refers to the Aegir as a “swiss pocket knife” because the vessel is able to carry out a variety of tasks including heavy-lifting, offshore construction, pipelaying and cable laying. “Due to Aegir’s strength and agility, the vessel is very suitable for operating on challenging wind projects such as these,” Heerema states. The installation will take place in waters of 30-35 meters deep

“Heerema has got what it takes to be a leader in the renewables market: great vessels and highly skilled and experienced people that are always eager to co-operate. The collaboration between Ørsted and Heerema is characterized by a mutually outstanding attitude towards this enormous project. We share the same mentality: it’s this engagement and mindset of people that enables us to plan and execute these complex operations,” said CEO Koos-Jan van Brouwershaven.

Heerema’s work on Greater Changhua 1 and 2a will start in 2021 and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.