Taiwan Today
Date: October 12, 2016

State-run utility Taiwan Power Co. established Oct. 7 its first construction unit specializing in

offshore wind turbines, marking a significant step in its efforts to boost green energy production.

“It would be a great loss to the country if we failed to take advantage of the wind resources in the Taiwan Strait, which are among the best in the world,” Taipower Chairman Chu Wen-chen said at the opening ceremony for the Offshore Wind Power Construction Office, based at Taichung Power Plant in central Taiwan.

With a budget of around NT$19.5 billion (US$616.8 million), the first stage of Taipower’s offshore turbine project will be located in the waters west of central Taiwan’s Changhua County. Scheduled to commence operations in June 2020, the first phase will have a power generation capacity of 110 megawatts, or 360 million kilowatt-hours a year, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of more than 100,000 households, Chu said.

By 2025, Taipower’s offshore wind farms are expected to reach a total capacity of 1 gigawatt, roughly equal to the output of two of the fossil fuel-fired generators at Taichung Power Plant, according to the company.     [FULL  STORY]