Sulmara completes site characterization survey in Taiwan

July 9, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Scotland-headquartered Sulmara has completed a site characterization survey for the Formosa 4 offshore wind project in Taiwan, developed by Synera Renewable Energy (SRE).

To overcome challenging environmental site conditions, Sulmara said it employed an industry-first, multi-platform approach running the sensors to meet the specified data coverage and data quality requirements.

“When we began assessing the needs of this project, it was clear that a conventional approach would not be suitable due to the challenges in maintaining data coverage and quality across the entire site, which would have brought risks for our client,” said James Hope, Sulmara Regional Director – Eastern Hemisphere.

The company utilized a dedicated survey vessel, a large unmanned survey vessel (USV), and a smaller nearshore USV to deliver continuity in quality data, in what is the first approach of this type in Taiwan, according to Sulmara.

The Formosa 4 offshore wind project is being jointly developed by SRE and its local partners some 19 kilometers off the coast of Tongxiao Township, Miaoli County in north-western Taiwan.

SRE announced Formosa 4 in September 2020 following the company’s participation in Formosa 1, Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, and Formosa 2.

At the end of 2022, the project was awarded 495 MW of development capacity by the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Formosa 4 site covers an area of 58 square kilometers. According to SRE’s website, the project will feature up to 35 wind turbines installed on jacket foundations.