Taiwan invests in Offshore Wind

Posted date: June 27, 2017 In: News, Wind Power | comment : 1

The Taiwan Strait will likely generate an annual 3 million kilowatts to 5 million kilowatts from wind power, Premier Lin Chuan said Monday, implying an upgrade to the previously targeted 3 million kilowatts in 2025, thanks to investment applications from foreign companies.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration aims to shrink nuclear’s share of the electricity supply from 14% in 2015 to zero by 2025. To support the phaseout, the government plans to quintuple renewable energy’s share from 2015 levels to 20%.

Offshore wind’s potential output exceeds 10 million kilowatts, Lin said, highlighting hopes of this renewable source of energy replacing the atom. Each nuclear plant can generate up to 2 million kilowatts, he said.

Danish giant Dong Energy and Australian infrastructure developer Macquarie are among the applicants for investments. Lin shared hopes that Japanese companies with advanced technologies in wind power will take part as well. Siemens of Germany and Japan’s Hitachi are seen as candidates.

With Swancor and other equipment providers in Taiwan trailing Western rivals in technological capabilities, the authorities here are eager to import foreign know-how to establish Taiwan as an Asian hub of wind power generation.