Taiwan is one of the most interesting emerging markets in offshore wind, but conditions can present a number of potential setbacks to any project. The weather is the most challenging as high currents, high winds and typhoons are frequent and only allow a short time frame to get work done. Ultimately, up to a third of the year can be lost to weather downtime.
Given our 50+ years of history in international trade, we are accustomed to the intricacies of import and export legislation. Taiwan is a challenging place to provide goods and services. Our team of export and import experts ensures every piece of machinery or spare part we supply is codified and has all the necessary paperwork so that customs delays are avoided, and operations run as smoothly as possible.
Working in partnership with our valued client, Van Oord, we designed, manufactured, and supplied the QTrencher 1600 to provide trenching support to the Topaz Tangaroa, a multi-service offshore construction vessel. The vessel uses an SMD-designed heavy weather launch and recovery system (LARS) to operate the trencher in the most challenging sea and weather conditions, so the trencher and its LARS are not the excuse to wait on the weather!
The vessel, trencher, and crew installed the inter-array cables on one of Taiwan’s most challenging offshore wind farms, Greater Changhua. In total, the power generation capacity of the wind farm is planned to be 2.4GW.
We have a unique parts and services agreement with Van Oord to support their worldwide construction program. However, in this Taiwan case study, the key parts didn’t need repairing or replacing by the team. In fact, the machine has worked through 2022 without any major setbacks or faults during operation. This is an extraordinary result to have another campaign completed without any fuss. It is a testament to a skilled and well-planned contractor using equipment with the full support of the Original Equipment Manufacturer.
We’re here as an end-to-end solution, and we care about the results of any operation we get involved with. We’re truly looking forward to continuing our work toward the renewable energy revolution in 2023.
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