Taiwan is planning to construct 600 offshore wind turbines by 2030

Taiwan Generations Corp (????), which develops power plants, yesterday inked a deal with Fortune Electronic Co (????) to build Taiwan’s first offshore wind farm 8km from the coast of Changhua County’s Fangyuan Township (??).

Taiwan Generations is to set up two offshore wind turbines by the end of next year, with each wind turbine capable of generating electricity of 3 to 5 megawatts, Taiwan Generations’ special assistant to the CEO Michael Wang (??) told reporters yesterday.

The company plans to begin construction in April next year and complete it in September, Wang said, adding that construction needed to be carried out during fine weather conditions.

The two wind turbines would be able to provide electricity for about 6,000 households, Wang said.

By the end of 2020, Taiwan Generations will increase the capacity of its offshore wind farm at the location to 100 megawatts, he said. The long-term goal for Taiwan Generations is to build 52 offshore wind turbines at the wind farm to make 250 megawatts of electricity, he added.

According to Wang, Taiwan Generations is to invest NT$15,900 per kilowatt to set up the wind turbines, while the government is to provide zero-interest loans of NT$79,500 per kilowatt for the project.

Fuhai Wind Farm Corp (??????), a fully owned subsidiary of Fortune Electronic Co (????), is to be responsible for building and operating the farm, Wang said.

Fortune Electronic, which makes power transformers, power distribution apparatus and related products, is to make inland electricity transmission facilities for the wind farm, Wang said, adding that CSBC Corp, Taiwan (CSBC, ??????), which builds and repairs ships, and Century Iron & Steel Industrial Corp (????), which manufactures and markets steel products, are also to participate in the project.

The project is part of the government’s plan to set up 600 offshore wind turbines capable of generating 3,000 megawatts by the end of 2030, Taiwan Generations said, adding that with the 1,000 inland wind turbines it plans to build, Taiwan’s total wind turbine capacity could be 4,200 megawatts by the end of 2030, accounting for 33 percent of the renewable energy production predicted to be in use at that time.

In addition to the Fangyuan project, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has approved an application by Swancor Ind Co (??) to make offshore wind turbines in Miaoli County, Taiwan Generations said.