BlueFloat strikes Taiwan floating wind agreement
Developer to collaborate with local players over platforms tailored to island's 'unique conditions'
Spain-based offshore wind developer BlueFloat Energy will collaborate with government-backed Taiwan Ship and Ocean Industries R&D Centre (SOIC) and local maritime CR Classification Society on floating wind platforms tailored to the island’s “unique environmental conditions”, the company announced Friday.
The developer has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Taiwan University’s Ocean Centre (NTUOC) to conduct a comprehensive study for its proposed 1GW Winds of September floating project, named for the famous seasonal gales blowing off the Taiwan Strait.
The agreements aim to address the unique challenges posed by Taiwan's marine environment and regulatory framework.
Michael Pinkerton, BlueFloat Energy country manager for Taiwan, said: “Since entering the market, we have been actively engaging with the Taiwanese government, industry, and academia to drive technological advancements, particularly for floating wind.”
Taiwan has some 3GW of capacity in operation with another 2GW in late-stage construction and development that were awarded in its first two procurement rounds.
Its multi-stage 15GW Round 3 is underway with over 5GW capacity already awarded.
The Taiwan Strait separating the island from China has excellent conditions for development, including strong consistent winds and proximity to massive load centres.
Shallow water sites are quickly running out, and Taiwan is looking to develop floating capacity. The Energy Administration overseeing offshore wind development is expected to announce a floating demonstration round this year.
Shien-Kuang Chou, chief executive of SOIC, said the consortium “combines our expertise in floating wind system integration for local conditions with CR’s seismic risk assessment capabilities, supporting BlueFloat Energy in managing Taiwan-specific risks in floating wind farm development.”
BlueFloat intends to bid into the demonstration round with the first phase of its Winds of September project of up to 12 floating wind platforms totalling 180MW in waters off technology hub Hsinchu.
BlueFloat's various agreements with local R&D centres are in line with Taiwan's aims to leverage offshore wind development to build a comprehensive sector supply chain through some of the world's most stringent local content requirements.
BlueFloat CEO Martin said last August: “It is important to put in place enabling policies for building a competitive floating wind industry in Taiwan, which could supply new industries at reasonable power prices, thus triggering economic growth and creating jobs in the country.”
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