Introduction

The German Trade Office Taipei and the German Offshore-Wind Initiative are jointly organizing the “3^rd Taiwan-Germany Offshore Wind Forum”, held online on December 8^th, 2021. The Forum connects leading energy suppliers from Taiwan and Germany and provides a platform for future cooperation in this fast-growing sector. Speakers include representatives from well known German Offshore-Wind players in Taiwan, such as: RWE, wpd, TÜV Süd and Fichtner, as well as representatives of the German Offshore Wind Initiative and World Forum Offshore Wind.

Event details

• Date: Wednesday, December 8^th, 2021
• Time: 14:30 pm – 17:00 pm (Taiwan Time) / 7:30 am – 10:00 am (German Time)
• Platform: Online (via GoToWebinar)
• Language: English

The Taiwanese offshore wind market

Taiwan’s western coastlines are perfect locations for offshore wind parks. According to the market research organization 4C offshore, 15 out of 25 of the most suitable offshore locations can be found in Taiwan[1], especially next to the Penghu islands. Potential locations for parks next to the Taiwan mainland are at the Taichung coast area.

Although the circumstances for wind powered electricity is excellent in Taiwan, the field is quite young and rapidly growing now. Formosa 1, the first offshore wind park in Taiwan started its operation in 2016. As a consequence, 23 of the 39 government-declared offshore wind parks are either in a building or planning phase[2]. 

High potential for investors and suppliers

After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the Taiwanese government proposed the exit from nuclear energy and an expansion of gas-related and renewable energy up to 2025. Therefore, offshore wind parks are high in demand to solve energy shortages in the future, especially due to the current high dependence on energy imports.

The Taiwanese government noted the potential of the offshore wind-sector and supports domestic and foreign investors with the declaration of wind park zones, as well as encouraging them to set up own zones, especially in deeper water below 50m. Furthermore, the government plans to increase the share of renewable energies up to 27 GW by 2025, whether the offshore wind energy will be expanded to 5.5 GW by the same year. Another 15 GW are plan to be added only in the offshore wind sector from 2026 – 2035[3].

To use the excellent conditions of the Taiwan offshore wind park zones, robust as well as efficient turbines are needed to face the natural challenges in the Taiwan-area, such as typhoons and earthquakes. German companies with their customer-oriented solutions make important contributions to the Taiwanese offshore wind parks, such as providing turbines for Formosa 1.