Jan De Nul starts Formosa 2 construction work

Jan De Nul has kicked off construction works in Taiwan for the 376 MW Formosa 2 offshore wind farm.

Nearshore and onshore construction works have started at the landfall site in Miaoli County and Taichung port, Jan De Nul said. Offshore installation works will commence later this year.

At the landfall site in Miaoli County, the nearshore pre-trenching works and Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) from shore have started.

In Taichung, onshore preparations works are well underway with Hung Hua Construction preparing the storage area for pin piles and jackets arriving later this year, Jan De Nul said.

Having appointed Taichung Port as the marshalling harbour for the project, Jan De Nul set up its local supply chain with the support of Hung Hua Construction. These include preparations for storage and transport of the foundation structures, installation of transition joint bays, and various offshore support vessels.

“Our local integration has been ongoing for years thanks to our past experience of various marine activities throughout the region,” said Peter De Pooter, Manager Offshore Renewables at Jan De Nul Group. 

“In the past months, we have signed several agreements with local suppliers for this project in Taiwan. Our local partner Hung Hua Construction has been working with us on the Formosa 1 Phase 2 project, now completed, as well as on the Changhua project and the Formosa 2 project, both under construction. These engagements fit perfectly in our philosophy of involving the local supply chain as much as possible.”

Meanwhile, jacket fabrication was kicked off and subsea cables manufacturing is ongoing at the Asian supply chain. Half of the 188 pin piles have been completed. Each pile is approximately 65 metres long, has a 2.4 metre diameter, and weighs 240 tonnes. The piles form part of the turbine’s foundation structure, which includes one jacket and four pin piles anchoring the jacket to the seabed.

Formosa 2 will comprise 47 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines slated for commissioning in 2021.

The wind farm is being developed by a partnership between JERA, Macquarie’s Green Investment Group, and Swancor Renewable Energy.