The Chu Tin floating offshore wind project in Taiwan officially passed its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) following the final committee review. It is a significant milestone for the project in preparing for the upcoming pre-commercial floating offshore wind selection round, and for the organisation in advancing its floating offshore wind ambitions in the region. As an expert in offshore wind, joint venture partners Flotation Energy and Cobra are committed to supporting Taiwan’s offshore wind expansion into deeper waters.
”Chu Tin securing its EIA is a significant step in realising our offshore wind ambition in the region. We are delighted to be able to deliver a pioneering project like Chu Tin, utilising our hands-on experience from developing similar projects in the UK.”
“Many of our team worked on Kincardine, the world’s first and still largest grid-connected floating windfarm. What we glean from Test and Demonstration (T&D) projects such as Kincardine we are now applying to our first mover projects such as the 560MW Green Volt development, which, when operational, will be one of the largest floating windfarms in the world. This experience in delivering both T&D and full commercial-scale projects at pace will no doubt support our efforts in Taiwan as we seek to engage and encourage a local supply chain here in the region.”
Marcus DowlingProject Engineering Manager at Flotation Energy
Dowling also expressed confidence in the joint venture partnership’s ability to contribute to Taiwan’s offshore wind industry and assist in achieving Taiwan’s net-zero goals.
The Chu Tin floating offshore wind project is planned to cover approximately 181 square kilometers off the coast of Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City, with the nearest point 22 kilometers offshore. The total installed capacity will be around 1.2GW, with 60 to 85 wind turbines, each generating between 14MW and 20MW. Once fully operational, the project will be capable of supplying electricity to 1 million households in Taiwan.
Flotation Energy established its Taiwan branch in 2021 to seize opportunities in Taiwan’s offshore wind development phase. In September 2021, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, to advance localised design, manufacturing, assembly of floating wind turbine foundations, turbine installation, operations, and maintenance, as well as the integration and development of local supply chains.