Siemens Gamesa named preferred supplier for wpd’s Yunlin offshore wind power project in Taiwan

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) intensifies its cooperation with wpd offshore in the preparation of the Yunlin offshore wind power project in Taiwan. The project, to be located approximately six kilometers from shore in the Taiwan Strait, will reach a total capacity of 640 megawatts. The LoI, which is still subject to final contract, will remain valid until July 2019. It was signed based on the use of 80 units of SGRE’s latest offshore wind turbine, the SG 8.0-167 DD, including a 15-year long-term service agreement. Construction will start in 2019, with turbine installation beginning in 2020.

“We are delighted to have been selected by wpd and glad to confirm today that our cutting edge offshore wind turbine, the SG 8.0-167, is ready for the Taiwanese market from 2020. We look forward to this preferred supplier agreement soon becoming a confirmed order,” says Andreas Nauen, Offshore CEO at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

Niels Steenberg, SGRE General Manager Offshore for the APAC region, added: “As the first large scale project in the APAC region it will play a crucial role in the development of the offshore wind industry in Taiwan. Today, we are closely working with wpd to meet the targeted timeline, and ensure required infrastructure will be in place for successful implementation.”

With a target of 520 megawatts installed by 2020, and a capacity of 3.8 gigawatts for offshore wind projects in the first round of its grid allocation mechanism, the Taiwanese government has sent strong signals to establish an offshore industry starting in 2020. To support this ambitious goal, Siemens Gamesa has already signed several Memoranda of Understanding with local partners.

“We place great value in joining forces to help achieve the government’s targets. With the intensified cooperation of SGRE with our long-standing customer wpd, strong partners are now driving the implementation of an early utility-scale offshore project forward”, stated Siemens Gamesa’s Offshore CEO Andreas Nauen. “Further work we are doing with separate MoU partners including Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group, and Swancor Holdings Co. are all aimed developing the Taiwanese offshore wind industry.”

Siemens Gamesa in Offshore

SGRE is the leader in the global offshore market, with over 2,300 offshore wind turbines in operation globally with a combined capacity of more than 11GW. The company’s experiences reach back as far as 1991, when it established the world’s first offshore wind power plant. Through a strong focus on innovation, SGRE constantly strives to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy from offshore wind power.

SGRE was recently awarded an order to deliver 20 SWT-6.0-154 offshore wind turbines for Taiwan’s 120 MW Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind power plant, along with a 15-year service agreement in Taiwan. In 2016, the company installed Taiwan’s first offshore wind power plant, the 8 MW Formosa 1, Phase 1 demonstration project.