Company Seeks to Build Offshore Wind Farms|台船與外商合作 將推動離岸風電

Hai Long Offshore Wind Farm Project Office, a joint venture between Canadian and Singaporean energy firms, has announced a joint venture with Taiwan's CSBC Corporation and a Belgian company. Together, they will embark on an offshore wind power project in Changhua County. It is estimated that they will be able to provide the power grid with an additional 1,100 kilowatts of electricity. The Taiwan Strait is one of the best places in the world for offshore wind farms. This is why Canadian company Northern Power and Singaporean firm Yushan Energy established a joint venture, Hai Long Offshore Wind Farm Project Office, in Taiwan. Recently, Hai Long signed a letter of intent with CSBC Corporation and a Belgian company. They will join forces to build two wind turbine sites located 40 to 50 kilometers offshore of Changhua County. The wind turbines can generate 1.1 gigawatts, or 16 percent of the target generation for this type of renewable energy source. The sites are located to the west of north-south waterways demarcated by the Maritime and Port Bureau, and close to the Taiwan Strait's median line. We chose such a distant location instead of starting from somewhere closer to the shore right from the beginning, because there were more ecological considerations around the shore area. The two sites' environmental impact assessments were approved at the end of last year. Energy companies say the Taiwan Strait is like a ravine, and the wind speed increases by a lot when the northeast monsoon passes through the strait. The average wind speed is seven meters per second, but can reach 10 meters per second in the strait. As such, the area is extremely suitable for offshore wind farms. Moreover, Taiwan businesspeople are quick to undertake technology transfers and there are policies to support renewable energy sources. Many foreign companies are therefore extremely interested in investing in this sector. Taiwan companies learn very quickly, in terms of both offshore wind generation and other technologies. Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Bureau of Energy's costs are more attractive to foreign companies. CSBC Corporation will take charge of the construction of underwater foundations, and will also apply its "anti-erosion" technology to turbines to increase their life expectancies. Meanwhile, the extent of Hai Long's collaboration with Taiwan Power Company won't be clear until April, although Taipower has already issued suggestions.