Mott MacDonald Stays on Formosa I

Management, engineering and development consultancy Mott MacDonald is reviewing the design of the anchor bolt system on the second phase of the 128MW Formosa I offshore wind farm in north-west Taiwan.

Located 3 kilometres off the coast of Miaoli County, Formosa I is the most advanced offshore wind project in Taiwan and has been developed in two phases.

Phase one, consisting of two turbines with a total generating power of 8MW, began commercial operation in April 2017. The second phase, which is due to become operational in 2020, will see the addition of 20 further turbines, bringing the total capacity up to 120MW.

Mott MacDonald will review the design of the project’s tower anchor bolt system which will hold down the turbine frames and provide construction supervision services. The consultancy was also involved in the first phase of Formosa I, providing technical, environmental and commercial due diligence.

“During the financing of Formosa I’s first phase we reviewed turbine technology, energy yield, project contracts and the operations and maintenance strategy to help financial close to be reached. In the commercial phase we undertook a feasibility study and reviewed the engineering design,” Jim Chen, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said.

“Taiwan’s strong winds and stable regulatory framework are helping it become one of the newest top wind energy players, especially in the Asia-Pacific market.” 

Formosa I is a joint venture project of Macquarie Capital (50%), Ørsted (35%), and Taiwanese developer Swancor Renewable (15%). The project achieved financial close in June 2018.