In the Taiwan Strait, a majestic array of 303 wind turbines now stands tall. Amid global headwinds facing the offshore wind industry due to inflation and rising interest rates, Taiwan reached a major milestone with the completion of the Changfang-Xidao Offshore Wind Farm. The project, led by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), held a completion ceremony to mark this significant achievement.
The Changfang-Xidao Wind Farm, CIP's first operational offshore wind farm in the Asia-Pacific region, is Taiwan's first fully localized and on-time completed wind farm. With a grid capacity of 600 MW, the wind farm features 62 Vestas V174-9.6MW wind turbines and jacket foundations supplied by Century Wind Power. It is expected to be fully operational and connected to the grid by 2024, supplying clean energy to approximately 650,000 Taiwanese households.
Vice President Bi-khim Louise Hsiao highlighted the importance of this project for Taiwan's energy transition goals. She emphasized the government's commitment to achieving its 2050 energy transition targets through renewable energy development and policy initiatives.
Christina Grumstrup Sorensen, CIP's founder and senior partner, expressed pride in the project's achievement and detailed ongoing projects, including the 300 MW Zhong Neng Offshore Wind Farm, expected to be completed by the end of 2024, and the 500 MW Fengmiao Offshore Wind Farm, slated for operations in 2027. CIP is also participating in Round 3.2 with expectations for the Fengmiao Phase 2 project.
CIP's total grid capacity of 900 MW, including the Changfang-Xidao and Zhong Neng wind farms, has catalyzed Taiwan's wind industry supply chain and facilitated the establishment of MHI Vestas' first offshore wind turbine blade factory outside Europe in Taiwan, making Taiwan the only location in the Asia-Pacific region with an offshore wind turbine blade factory outside of China.
Credit: CIP
Dennis Sanou, the CEO of the Changfang-Xidao Wind Farm, acknowledged the challenges faced by CIP and the Taiwanese government, as they navigated new rules and guidelines in this emerging industry. He commended the project's high localization percentage, which added complexity but enabled the development of a local supply chain in collaboration with Vestas.
Marina Hsu, CIP's regional president, provided updates on CIP's other projects, including the Fengmiao Wind Farm, which is expected to be delivered on schedule in 2027, while the Round 3.2 selection process is still ongoing, potentially delaying grid connection until 2030 or 2031. She discussed the gradual grid connection process for the Changfang-Xidao Wind Farm due to the impact of the feed-in tariff rate and highlighted the progress in obtaining electricity licenses, which is crucial for full-scale operations.
Regarding the higher costs of producing wind power components in Taiwan compared to other countries, she stressed the need for government support through tax reductions and subsidies to enhance local manufacturers' global competitiveness.
Credit: CIP
CIP is pursuing diverse energy transition technologies, including floating offshore wind farms and green hydrogen production. Hsu mentioned CIP's collaboration with Evergreen Marine Corporation to explore low-carbon marine fuels and the Energy Transition Fund's efforts to support various industries' low-carbon transitions through green hydrogen technologies.
Looking ahead, Hsu expressed optimism about the declining costs of offshore wind development in the next four to five years, as European domestic demand grows and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region are overcome.
Credit: CIP
