PTSC Mechanical & Construction has completed the construction and loadout of the offshore substation structures for the Fengmiao offshore wind project in Taiwan, moving an 11,400 tonne package of steel one step closer to installation in the Taiwan Strait.

The fabricator, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s Petrovietnam Technical Services Corporation, confirmed on July 29 that the scope comprises a 3,400 tonne topside, an 8,000 tonne jacket and the accompanying piles. The company said the structures were delivered on schedule after more than 2.5 million man hours without a lost time incident.

“Delivered on schedule with more than 2.5 million LTI-free man-hours, this milestone reflects disciplined execution and close collaboration among CIP, Semco Maritime, PTSC M&C and all project partners,” PTSC M&C said via social media.

The loadout closes out the fabrication phase of an engineering, procurement and construction contract awarded in October 2023 to a consortium of Denmark’s Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C. The structures were built at the yard in Vung Tau City, Vietnam, while Semco Maritime handled design, procurement and installation of high and medium voltage, SCADA and auxiliary systems, supported by subcontractor ISC Consulting Engineers.

For breakbulk and heavy lift operators, the shipment underlines the growing role of Vietnamese yards in Asia Pacific offshore wind logistics. It is the third substation project for the same consortium after Hai Long in Taiwan and Baltica 2 in Poland, cementing a repeat trade lane for outsized wind components between Vung Tau and North Asian project sites.

The substation will be transported and installed by CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering, the joint venture between Belgian contractor DEME and Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC, using the Taiwan built installation vessel Green Jade. The four legged jacket will stand in water depths of 53 to 64 meters, with skirt piles weighing up to 810 tonnes each.

The 495 MW Fengmiao 1 wind farm, owned and developed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners through its fund Copenhagen Infrastructure V, sits about 36 kilometers off Taichung City on Taiwan’s west coast. It holds 500 MW of grid capacity awarded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and is the first Round 3 project in the country to reach financial close and begin construction.

Offshore work is already well advanced. CDWE installed the first of 99 pin piles in early March, with piling executed by Green Jade, while Jan De Nul completed installation of two export cables in April. Local supplier Century Wind Power rolled out the first of 33 three legged jacket foundations at the start of the year, ahead of foundation installation that began this year.

Once complete, the wind farm will host 33 Vestas turbines of 15 MW each, with grid connection to Taiwan Power Company‘s Taichung Zhongqing substation targeted for 2027. Japanese shipping group Mitsui O.S.K. Lines holds a 10 percent stake in the project alongside CIP, which remains controlling shareholder.

The project’s entire output is contracted to six large local and international energy users under long term power purchase agreements, making on time delivery of the substation, the electrical heart of the wind farm, critical to revenue start up. Attention now shifts to the offshore installation campaign, while CIP has already commissioned Fugro to run geotechnical surveys for the 600 MW FengMiao II site, with fieldwork due to conclude by the third quarter of 2026.

Source: Breakbulk News