Two private companies will receive substantial grants from the Taiwanese government in return for building offshore wind farms before the decade’s end.
As expected, plans submitted by Taiwan Generations Corporation (TGC) and Swancor have both won favour from the Bureau of Energy within Taiwan’s ministry of economic affairs. Last autumn, the bureau said it expects 3GW in offshore installed capacity by 2030.
TGC will install two demonstration turbines by the end of 2014, with a further 28 due by end of 2016 at its Fuhai site. If the turbines prove to be 4MW machines, TGC would be on track to have 120MW in the water in little more than three years’ time.
It plans a further 22 turbines at an adjacent "test site". The company describes itself as Taiwan's offshore wind "pioneer" and has been working on this project for eight years. Its advisors include GL Garrad Hassan.
Meanwhile, chemical firm Swancor is diversifying into offshore wind development and will install 30 turbines with 108MW combined capacity at Miau Li. Two demonstration turbines will be in place by 2015 and the "whole project" will be completed by 2018, it says. Swancor’s existing product line includes coatings for wind turbines.
In addition, state-owned utility, Taiwan Power Company has been judged as "qualified to receive the grant," a bureau of energy official told “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Offshore. However, it appears to have made less progress in developing its plans.
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