Taiwan: IDEOL and China Steel Corporation announce their collaboration on the Taiwanese offshore wind market

The French floating foundation specialist IDEOL and the Taiwanese Group China Steel Corporation (CSC) have recently documented their preliminary collaboration aiming at designing, engineering and constructing floating offshore wind turbines using IDEOL’s patented "Damping Pool" technology.

The Taiwanese Government has announced ambitious plans to build offshore wind farms with several projects at various stages of development. The different zones which have been identified for the first projects have depths ranging from 20 to 60 meters+, many facing difficult seabed conditions. IDEOL’s foundation being the only floating technology buildable in steel or concrete and operable at depths starting 30 meters shows tremendous potential given Taiwan’s specific industrial and environmental conditions.

"We are very pleased that China Steel Corporation has identified IDEOL’s technology as one of the potential solutions for the Taiwanese market. This collaboration recognizes our capability to compete with bottom-fixed solutions in specific environments. 2016 and 2017 will see the installation of our floating technology in France and Japan. We hope that our collaboration with CSC will lead to the construction and installation of our floater in a third country after 2019" said Paul de La Guérivière, IDEOL’s CEO.

"Offshore wind farm is new industry and full of challenges in Taiwan. We have good wind energy potential at Taiwan Strait, but facing extreme ocean condition and geological problem. CSC is looking for the best solution in shallow to deep water depth. IDEOL’s design as confirmed through its partnership with Hitachi Zosen and other leading stakeholders for the design and construction of 2 demonstrators, it is undoubted that the design can compete with other floating foundation developers. CSC group is planning to build own wind farm on Taiwan Strait, floating foundation may have the opportunity standing on CSC’s new Wind farm after 2019" said Li-I Wei, CSC’s wind power business vice commissioner.