Orsted has appointed energy and marine consultancy ABL to provide MWS for the offshore transportation and installation (T&I) of wind turbines and cables for the 920MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms in Taiwan.

ABL’s work involves reviewing, surveying and approving all operations relating to the T&Is of wind turbines and subsea cables.

The latest contract follows ABL’s MWS appointment on the 900MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore wind farms, which were completed in 2022.

The Greater Changhua 2b and 4 projects will include the installation of 66 fixed-bottom wind turbines that will be planted at water depths of 23.8–44.1m.

In March 2023, the two offshore wind farms, located 35–60km off the coast of Changhua County, entered the construction stage after Orsted took a final investment decision (FID) on the 920MW projects.

The developer said in the press release announcing the FID: “The Greater Changhua 2b and 4 projects will be funded by capital provided by the Ørsted Group combined with debt capital sourced from the domestic Taiwanese market – backed by an Ørsted A/S parent company guarantee.”

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Taiwan’s first ever price-based auction went ahead in 2018, during which Orsted secured the capacity for the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms. In 2020, the developer signed a corporate power purchase agreement with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for the offtake of the full production from Changhua 2b and 4.

The 900MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore wind project, also run by Orsted, was inaugurated last month at an event in the Port of Taichung.

Elsewhere, Orsted’s 253MW Gode Wind 3 offshore wind farm in Germany produced its first electricity and delivered it to Germany’s national grid earlier this week. The wind farm is jointly owned by Orsted and Nuveen Infrastructure.