On Tuesday March 7 the Netherlands offshore wind industry presented themselves during a workshop in Kaohsiung. Taiwan has ambitious plans for offshore wind farm installation and is aiming for at least 4GW by 2030. It is anticipated that offshore wind will create significant economic benefits to the Island. The strategy of the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Taiwan is to build up a strong local supply chain. To this purpose China Steel Corporation (CSC) and shipbuilder CSBC have launched two local consortia:  a Wind Team and a Marine Team.

In particular for marine engineering, offshore wind installation and O&M purposes Taiwan is looking for cooperation with the Netherlands. One of the main conclusions of the workshop is that the opportunities for offshore wind in Taiwan are many, but readymade solutions for the challenges (e.g. typhoons, earth quakes, soil conditions) are few. Each part of the supply chain has its own specific demands and therefore tailor made solutions often need to be provided. HHWE Managing Director Arjen Schutten said that Dutch companies are keen to set-up strategic alliances with the local supply chain in Taiwan and share experiences.

One example of the strengthening the local supply chain is the MoU between the Taiwanese company CECI Engineering Consultants and the Dutch consultancy Wind Minds. Both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly tender for the first phase (110MW) of an approximately 1,010MW wind farm offshore in Changhua County.

On behalf of the Netherlands the following companies joined the workshops in Kaohsiung: Ampelmann, Boskalis / VBMS, Damen Shipyards, ECN, GustoMSC, Huisman, IX, Jumbo, LM Wind Power, MPI Offshore, Royal IHC, Seafox, Wind Minds and Van Oord. The workshop was organized by the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, and co-organized by NTIO, HHWE, TWTIA and CIECA. With the latter two organisations HHWE signed last year cooperation agreements to facilitate business.