Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine has completed the construction of two offshore substations for offshore wind giant Ørsted.
The two unmanned 600MW offshore wind farm substations will be deployed in Taiwan’s Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms.
The topside modules, which have a combined weight of more than 8000MT, are expected to sail away in late October 2021 to be integrated with the jacket foundations on site standing in the Taiwan Strait.
Keppel O&M completed the construction of the jacket foundations earlier in Q2 2021 and will carry out the integration work for the offshore substations.
After integration of the topside modules onto the jacket foundations, Keppel O&M will conduct testing of the substation systems.
Expected to withstand the sea and extreme weather conditions at the site, the offshore substations will distribute the energy generated from the offshore wind farm to the onshore substation via subsea cables. Located 35-50 kilometers off the coast of Changhua County, the Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms will supply around 1 million households in Taiwan with electricity.
When operational, the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a will be Taiwan’s first far shore and large-scale offshore wind farms.
Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M said: “Keppel O&M’s pivot to renewables has gained traction, with S$1.3 billion worth of offshore wind projects secured over the past three years. We have the capabilities to develop solutions across the value chain of offshore renewables as well as undertake the R&D of other decarbonization solutions such as hydrogen, ammonia, and electrification. This is in line with Keppel’s Vision 2030, which has put sustainability at the core of the company’s strategy."
Earlier this year, Keppel, famous for its offshore rig construction business, said it would undergo a major transformation, look for opportunities as a developer and integrator of offshore energy and infrastructure assets, and exit the offshore rig building business.