Orsted has started construction of its operation and maintenance centre at Taiwan’s Port of Taichung.

The base will support the 900MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms.

The wind farm’s operational site management team will be housed at the base, allowing them to be in close contact with the O&M service operation vessel (SOV) and technician teams onboard.

Greater Changhua 1 & 2a is scheduled to be operational from 2022 onwards.

The O&M base is the first of its kind that Orsted has invested in building in Taiwan and within the Asia-Pacific region.

Orsted has signed contracts with MOH Associates, part of the MAA Group, and Tung Kai Technology Engineering, to design and construct the O&M base.

Orsted Asia-Pacific president Matthias Bausenwein said: “The O&M base well demonstrates that Orsted is making long-term commitment to Taiwan through building wind farms and ramping up local O&M competence to not only serve operational needs for a long period of time, but also to create an offshore wind value chain in Taiwan.”

“The investment of building Orsted’s first ever O&M base in Asia once again sets Taiwan at the forefront of offshore wind expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, covering all phases of the wind farm life cycle.”

Orsted Taiwan general manager Christy Wang added: “The fact that we are making this investment in building own O&M base in Taiwan serves as an excellent example of how we go beyond Taiwan’s localization requirements.

“This is underlined by the fact that we partnered with local companies for the design and construction of the O&M base.

“It is expected that the O&M base can stimulate growth of related O&M businesses and create local direct and indirect quality jobs with our contractors and suppliers during the O&M construction phase.”