Ørsted inaugurates ‘Taiwan Offshore Wind Farms Operations and Maintenance Hub’ to underpin long-term green energy supply

The O&M hub is the largest in Asia-Pacific in terms of service capacity and area, and it's the first green-designed O&M facility in the region. Ørsted brings unparalleled operations expertise and full-scale O&M deployment of a Taiwanese operations team, customized service operation vessel and new-built facility.

Global offshore wind leader Ørsted today inaugurated the Ørsted Taiwan Offshore Wind Farms Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Hub. Located at the Port of Taichung, the O&M hub is the first operations facility with green design and the largest in terms of size and offshore service capacity in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s built with the aim to serve four Greater Changhua offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of approximately 2.4 GW.

Among the many distinguished guests at the inauguration ceremony were Shen Jong-chin, Vice Premier; Hung Sun-han, Legislator; Chen Su-yueh, Legislator; Yan Li-min, Deputy Speaker of Taichung City Council, Chen Rong-cong, President of Taichung Port, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ltd.; and foreign representatives as well as Mads Nipper, Group President and CEO of Ørsted, and Per Mejnert Kristensen, new President of Ørsted Asia-Pacific.

With its industry-leading build-to-operate business model, Ørsted began O&M deployment in 2018 with a strategic plan to establish full-scale operations, which is an unprecedented industrial practice in Taiwan. We brought in our unparalleled O&M expertise to Taiwan by cultivating a local O&M team of technicians and operations professionals, launching a customised service operation vessel (SOV), and investing in building the world-class O&M hub. These efforts and significant investment in the O&M set-up demonstrate Ørsted’s readiness and commitment to delivering our offshore wind farms in Taiwan with the highest performance, quality, and reliability.

Mads Nipper, Group President and CEO of Ørsted, says: “Taiwan is our first market of entry in Asia-Pacific and home to our regional headquarters. We’re contributing significantly to Taiwan’s energy transition through the 1.82 GW capacity we’ve been awarded and more than 5.6 GW of new projects in the pipeline. The inauguration of our O&M hub, which is the first operations facility we’ve built outside of Europe and a significant investment we’ve made in this market, clearly demonstrates our long-term commitment to Taiwan and our dedication to create a world that runs entirely on green energy.”

Christy Wang, General Manager of Ørsted Taiwan, says: “Ørsted teams have been committed to sharing our more than 30 years of expertise and experience with Taiwan since day one through introducing our industry-leading build-to-operate business model. The unique O&M hub, together with the bespoke SOV and the Taiwanese O&M team, are excellent examples of how we ensure stable, clean energy output and have pioneered the offshore wind industry across wind farm lifecycles. We’ll remain Taiwan’s most reliable green energy partner and continue to drive industry changes to create values and benefits.”

The hub is designed in accordance with global standards from Ørsted’s O&M portfolio to oversee the daily operations of offshore wind farms, ensure optimal clean energy output, and manage all safety aspects related to the works carried out by the offshore O&M technicians. Moreover, the facility uses locally manufactured, energy-saving, and sustainable materials to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to Ørsted’s 2025 carbon neutrality goal. The O&M hub meets the gold-rating certification criteria of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Highlighting the importance of knowledge sharing and green energy education, Ørsted also set up a learning centre at the O&M hub to welcome local communities and stakeholders to learn about offshore wind and inspire the next generation of professionals and talent.

Key facts about the O&M hub

• 25 February 2020: Signed 20-year lease with Taiwan International Ports Corporation Marine Construction

• 22 September 2020: Broke ground on the O&M hub

• 5 May 2021: Taiwanese O&M technicians embarked on eight-month secondment training at operating wind farms in the United Kingdom

• 27 June 2022: Construction completed and ready for move-in

• 2 August 2022: O&M hub inaugurated

• Area: 7,868.15 m2

• Capacity: 80 people

• Building design: MOH Associates Inc., local firm of the MAA Group

• Building construction: Lung Ming Green Energy Technology Engineering Co Ltd.

• Green solutions:

- 60 % of the materials used are certified as sustainable and recyclable and are locally procured

- Installed 370 pieces of solar panels and rainwater recycling equipment

- Installed charging stations for electrical vehicles