Ramboll to Deliver its Fourth Large Scale Foundation Detailed Design in Taiwan
Ramboll has been contracted by CSBC DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) to deliver the full jacket foundation design for the Hai Long Offshore Wind Project which will have a capacity of 1044 MW. The project is the fourth large scale detailed design for Ramboll after Changfang, Xidao and Zhong Neng, where the Danish engineering company has also been responsible for delivering the full jacket foundation designs.
Taiwan’s strategy of increasing the share of renewable resources across its energy mix has reached another important milestone with a new offshore wind farm to be installed in the strait waters separating the island from continental Asia. The Hai Long Offshore Wind Project consists of two licensed areas – Site 19 and Site 18 – and will have a total capacity of 1044 MW. Hai Long is Ramboll’s fourth large scale detailed design project in Taiwan after, Changfang and Xidao (589 MW), and Zhong Neng (300 MW) where the Danish engineering company has also been responsible for delivering the full jacket foundation designs.
“Even though it’s not our first project in Taiwan we are very honoured that CDWE has chosen us to deliver the most-cost effective jacket foundation design. We are also very glad for the opportunity to continue our journey on the Asian market and support Taiwan’s growing agenda towards more renewable sources”, says Santiago Paredes-Pinzón, Head of Department at Ramboll.
“Ramboll is a respected company with solid offshore wind experience worldwide and we believe their knowledge and expertise will have a positive influence on the design of Hai Long’s foundations, even though the natural environment in the strait waters is challenging” says Marco Kanaar CDWE Project Director.
Ramboll will perform the FEED and detailed design of the jacket structures supporting the 14 MW SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines. The jacket foundations will be installed at water depths ranging between 43 m and 56 m, adding complex challenges to the design and engineering aspects. Situated in-between tropics, Taiwan’s offshore waters are exposed to extreme natural forces such as earthquakes, sand waves, and soil liquefaction. This requires innovative thinking and flexibility in terms of foundation techniques and installation.
“We are dealing with challenging site conditions, but our previous experience from Taiwan and worldwide has helped us enormously in understanding how these natural forces work against the structures. Basically, it comes down to finding a fine balance between innovation and looking back at what has already been done. I am confident that with this vision in mind we will be able to find the best solution for our client”, adds Santiago Paredes-Pinzón.
Ramboll has appointed local consulting firm T.Y. LIN to ensure the design is compliant with local standards and regulations.
“When designing offshore wind foundations, it’s not only about the challenges caused by the environmental conditions, but also about being compliant. We always seek to learn and understand the local standards and regulations, which is why we decided to collaborate with a local company to help us strengthen our knowledge in this area. We look forward to have T.Y. LIN onboard with us during the project”, Santiago Paredes-Pinzón concludes.
The Consortium sponsoring the Hail Long Offshore Wind Project consists of Canadian Northland Power Inc. (NPI) and Taiwanese Yushan Energy Co., Ltd. CDWE was set up by CSBC and DEME Offshore to leverage the local knowledge and expertise of CSBC, Taiwan’s largest shipyard, with European experts and to ensure foreign knowledge in the fields of project management, fleet management, installation techniques and marine works safety is available during all project phases.
