To build the operation and maintenance (O&M) capabilities of Taiwan and drive local cooperation to create O&M opportunities for offshore wind farms, MIRDC implemented the Promotion Program of Offshore Wind Farm Structure Inspection and O&M Technology Development under the guidance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and held the Innovative Offshore Wind Farm O&M Technologies Seminar on September 24th at the GIS MOTC Convention Center in Taipei. The event focused on inspection technologies and the experience sharing of the main structures of offshore wind farms. Opinions about local cooperation strategies were shared, which attracted enthusiastic reactions.
Dr. Chia-Min Wei, the Vice President of MIRDC, said that offshore wind power has entered the commercial operation phase as the cumulative installed capacity is expected to reach 5.7 GW by 2025. Moreover, the industry will enter phase three, Zonal Development, from 2026. Another 5 GW wind farm is planned for release within 5 years, and the subsequent 20-year O&M period will be an important business opportunity for the offshore wind energy industry. However, considering that Taiwan lacks practical experience in offshore wind farm O&M, and the sea area and geographical environment is very different from that of Europe, there is still room for joint development of innovative technologies with international companies. There will also be opportunities to export to the Asia-Pacific or global markets in the future.
The presentations started off with MIRDC introducing that offshore wind energy O&M technologies are moving towards automation, unmanned, and smart development. MIRDC shared its innovative technologies and applications, such as automated turbine structure inspection equipment, auxiliary wearable inspection devices, and automated blade inspection technology. Peak Wind Lead Consultant, Mr. Mathias Albrecht, a wind farm asset manager who has been in the Taiwan market for many years, was also invited to explain the lifecycle and O&M planning of offshore wind farms, so that attendees could understand the overall O&M of offshore wind farms.
Mr. Chia-Han Tsai, director of Boskalis HwaChi Offshore Wind Taiwan, showed a case of O&M technology used to repair a cable facility, the largest insurance claims of offshore wind farms, presenting key knowledge of cable O&M. Moreover, Mr. Kun-Tan Lin, Business Development Director of DWTEK (Taiwan’s underwater ROV manufacturer), indicated the importance of how underwater ROVs are applied to offshore wind farm O&M and proposed the next development opportunity for the industry. Last, MIRDC focused on how to use drones to inspect wind turbines without shutting down, leading O&M technologies into a new field. Through the sharing of opinions from experts in different fields, the participants can realize the trend of offshore wind farm O&M technologies to spark new strategies for industrial cooperation and create new business opportunities for offshore wind power O&M.