Swancor wind farm project unveiled

Swancor Renewable Energy announced plans for a 4.4 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind power project off Miaoli County as part of its commitment toward Taiwan’s energy transformation, the company said in a statement.

The “Formosa 4” wind energy project includes three deep-water wind farms 18km to 20km off the coast, Swancor Renewable CEO Lucas Lin said, adding that planning for the project began last year.

A proposal for Formosa 4 was this week submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company said.

Swancor Renewable jointly developed the Formosa 1 project, a 128 megawatt (MW) wind farm about 4km off Miaoli and the only local wind farm project in operation, and is involved in the construction of the 376MW Formosa 2 project.

Swancor Renewable would be developing Formosa 4 with the financial backing of US-based investment company Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, which holds a 95 percent stake in Swancor Renewable.

“We will go into this project with our experience from developing Formosa 1 and Formosa 2,” Lin said. “I expect to continue cultivating the positive relationships we have with the Miaoli County Government, residents and local businesses.”

“Through the development of the Formosa 4 project, we hope to develop a strong local supply chain and reach our goal of becoming a regional leader in renewable energy,” he said.

Before construction can begin, the Formosa 4 project must pass the EPA’s environmental impact assessment review and obtain a series of government approvals, as well as have the administrative contracts signed.

The Formosa 4 project is expected to be completed by 2025, Lin said, adding that the wind farm would provide a peak output of 4.4GW, or enough to provide electricity for 4.5 million families.

The waters off Miaoli boast some of the best wind farm fields in Taiwan, Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (???) said, expressing his backing for local wind projects.