Taiwan sets sights on expanded wind power capacity
2018/03/12
Power generation from offshore wind sources is a focus of Taiwan’s green energy initiatives designed to increase the ratio of power generated via renewable resources from roughly 4 percent to 20 percent.
To meet this goal, the government intends to raise current installed capacity from roughly 700 megawatts to more than 4 gigawatts by 2025. Offshore turbines will do most of the heavy lifting, eventually accounting for 3 gigawatts of the total.
Yet, even if more than 1,000 turbines are constructed in the Taiwan Strait by 2025 to take advantage of some of the world’s best wind resources, it would only be a partial measure as effective grids are needed to transmit electricity onshore and distribute it to users.
State-run Taiwan Power Co., which controls the vast majority of domestic electricity generation, transmission and distribution, is working to realize the government’s offshore wind power policy through three major projects.
The first is an NT$24.99 billion (US$853.5 million), 109.2-megawatt demonstration wind farm in the waters off central Taiwan’s Changhua County, while the second is an NT$143 billion, 720-megawatt undertaking. The third involves constructing electricity transmission systems onshore.
According to an offshore wind power development program approved by the Executive Yuan toward the end of 2017, Taipower is responsible for completing the transmission networks for an NT$60.6 billion, 10.65-gigawatt facility in Changhua and Taoyuan City, northern Taiwan.
In the face of such formidable missions, Taipower Chairman Yang Wei-fuu admitted the company will have its work cut out for years to come. “For now, constructing electricity transmission grids is the top priority,” he said, referring to the requisite infrastructure onshore that all wind power business investors and developers are keeping a close eye on.
Chen Tsung-hua, CEO of Yushan Energy Pte. Ltd. said the Singapore-headquartered firm won the rights to develop two offshore wind farms in Changhua on the back of its 30 years of experience in power generation and system installation around Taiwan, as well as deep understanding of local politics and social realities.
According to Chen, Taipower installs new electricity transmission lines usually by building towers or via underground channels. “Either way, local protests are inevitable,” he said, adding that such activities may impact Yushan’s wind power projects.
In this respect, Taipower has initiated forums and public hearings involving locals on such issues as project planning and land acquisition. “We’ve been working on this issue and will keep doing so,” Yang said.
As planned, Taipower will set up substations at Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in the north of the county and at Yongjing Township in the south to collect electricity from offshore turbines before transmission to three ultrahigh voltage substations for subsequent grid connection and distribution.
“We promise that construction of the transmission grid will be completed as scheduled,” said Lin Chuan-neng, director-general of the Bureau of Energy under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Despite anticipated challenges, he added, the government and Taipower will make sure the infrastructure onshore will be sufficient to support offshore wind power operation.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=16&post=130631)
