At an inauguration of its office today in Taipei, DONG Energy revealed its ambition to develop four offshore wind farms in the Changhua area in Taiwan.
Taiwan has similar geographic conditions as Northern Europe, where the offshore wind developer currently has 3GW of offshore wind installed, and a solid regulatory framework in place which offers visibility for the industry and attracts investments, DONG Energy said.
Among the 36 offshore wind farm sites planned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), 21 sites are located in the Changhua County.
DONG Energy is currently carrying out a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) on four of these sites. Provided that the EIAs are approved by the Taiwanese government and subject to investment approvals by the company’s Board of Directors, DONG Energy intends to develop the sites into a total offshore wind capacity of at least 2GW and make a significant investment into Taiwan’s energy infrastructure.
The potential construction of offshore wind farms could start in 2021-2024.
The inauguration of DONG Energy’s Taiwanese office was hosted by the company’s General Manager for Asia Pacific, Matthias Bausenwein, and CEO of DONG Energy Wind Power, Samuel Leupold, with Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Shen Jong-Chin, and Chief Secretary of Bureau of Energy, Lee Chun-Li, attending the event.
“Building on our 25 years of experience with offshore wind, I believe we can help Taiwan make the most of its tremendous offshore wind resources. Offshore wind can become a key component in Taiwan’s future energy mix and provide a stable, utility-scale and green source of power from the strong winds in the Taiwan Strait,” Matthias Bausenwein said.