Phase 1 of the Offshore Wind Power Project - Powering Up Green Energy with Sea Breeze-Taipower Sustainability Section - Taiwan Power Company

The engineering technology and development costs of constructing offshore wind turbines in turbulent seas are higher than those for land-based wind turbines. Moreover, the winter sea conditions in the Taiwan Strait often include wind and heavy waves, construction can only be done in a half-year period during the summer. Even at these times, high humidity and environmental salinity add extra challenges to the offshore project.

Additionally, ocean currents in the strait move in opposite directions during winter and summer. Consequently, Taipower has applied its experience in setting up marine meteorological observation towers to wind turbine tower construction. For instance, the Company installs two ladders on different sides of each tower's lower parts to increase the probability of successful tower climbing.

Furthermore, to prevent equipment damage caused by the northeast monsoon, Taipower implemented a "Winter plan" to strengthen dehumidification and protection for the wind turbine equipment at the pre-assembly site so that the wind turbines will safely survive the winter. It is clear that Taipower has brought its professionalism and innovation to the task of planning and designing its first-ever offshore wind farm, and has built a wind farm that is well-adapted for Taiwan's local conditions.

The first phase of Taipower's Offshore Project was planned by the Department of Construction and supervised by the Offshore Wind Power Construction Office. To complete tower assembly on land, Taipower and the Port of Taichung jointly established a pre-assembly site for wind turbines on a total of seven hectares of space in the Taichung Port area. The site is currently the largest offshore wind power terminal in Southeast Asia.

During the construction period, Taipower faced various challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented the docking of foreign construction vessels for 5 months. Taipower actively negotiated with different stakeholders, and the Company was eventually able to break through the difficulties and proceed with construction. Taipower adopted an offshore quarantine sea taxi approach and implemented measures of control for personnel exchange with vessels, quarantine of all personnel, and disinfection of whole ships. Consequently, Taipower successfully reduced the risk level for the 7 wind farm work vessels from the "grey ships" to "white ships" level.

Through managing the severe impact of the pandemic, Taipower has demonstrated its outstanding collaborative spirit, overcome construction delays and completed Phase 1 of the Offshore Wind Power Project together with foreign engineering teams.

In order to protect the rich ecological resources of the Changhua area, Phase 1 of the Offshore Wind Power Project sought to coexist with the local environment and community. To mitigate the environmental impact of the wind farm, Taipower used eco-friendly construction methods during the construction phase to minimize construction noise and avoid areas inhabited by cetaceans and used for raising oysters.

Taipower values the livelihood of local fishers and continues to communicate with the Changhua Fisheries Association to hear to the needs and voices of fishers. During the operation period, local fishers were employed in order to protect their rights to work. They were hired to operate guard boats and to serve as cetacean observers. They were also trained to handle the operation and maintenance boats.

Taipower is also actively assisting in the transformation of the fishing industry. In addition to conducting surveys on marine resources in Changhua's seas and sharing the research results with the fishers, Taipower is also promoting a Fishery Transformation Project. In the future, Taipower will experiment with the use of wind farms to raise oysters and continue to explore opportunities for fishery transformation to achieve the symbiosis of fishery and electricity. This will set a benchmark for the coexistence of wind farms and fisheries in the future.