Page 12 - AsiaElec Week 10 2022

AsiaElec RENEWABLES AsiaElec

Asia’s first newbuild SOV

to operate at Taiwanese

Changhua offshore wind farms

TAIWAN VIETNAM’S Vard Vung Tau shipyard has deliv- two months after the vessel completed sea trials
ered the first Taiwan-flagged service operation offshore Vietnam.
vessel (SOV), TSS Pioneer, to Ta San Shang The 84.4-metre TSS Pioneer has a beam of
Marine, a joint company owned by Mitsui OSK. 19.5 metres and can accommodate 87 people in
Lines (MOL) and Ta Tong Marine. single cabins. It features a motion-compensated
The vessel will now be deployed on Ørsted’s gangway, dynamic positioning system, and a 3D
900 MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore motion-compensated crane.
wind farms in Taiwan under a 15-year charter Propulsion is hybrid with a diesel-electric
the developer signed with Ta San Shang Marine solution, which allows for reductions in fuel
in 2020. consumption, maintenance and emissions, as
The vessel will be using the Port of Taichung well as improved responsiveness, Vard said in
as its base port to serve Ørsted’s offshore wind 2020 after the Norway-based company signed
farms, located 35 to 50 km off the coast of the shipbuilding contract.
Changhua County. Ørsted is developing four offshore wind sites
Ørsted began full construction work at the within the Greater Changhua site off Taiwan.
900-MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a offshore With a potential 2.4 GW of capacity, the sites
wind farms in 2021. It laid export and array are expected to be capable of powering 2.8mn
cables and installed offshore substations and homes in Taiwan.
foundations in 2021 ahead of the start of wind It is also the co-owner of Taiwan’s first com-
turbine installation in 2022, the company said mercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1,
in 2021. which will be extended from its current 8-MW
Vard delivered the SOV on March 8, less than capacity to 128 MW in 2019.™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 10 09•March•2022