Taiwan - Ministry of Economic affairs to open six offshore areas for wind turbines

The Ministry of Economic Affairs is set to open up six sea areas off the country's coast for wind turbine installations, with an estimated power generation capacity of 300,000kw in the first stage of its "offshore wind power development guidelines," government sources reported yesterday.

The project will also boost the output value of related local industries by NT$40 billion (US$1.2 billion), they said.

The official installation registration process for applicants will start on Saturday, with several local companies - including China Steel, Formosa Heavy Industries Corp and TECO Electric & Machinery Co - having shown strong interest in bidding, according to the ministry's Bureau of Energy.

Ministry officials pointed out that the wind farm locations are off the coast between Miaoli and Taichung, off the Changpin Industrial Park in Changhua County, near Wai San Din (in Yunlin County, off the coast between Chiayi and Tainan, off Yilan County and around the outlying islands of Penghu.