Taiwan’s premier wind energy base offers environmentally friendly development and recreation alike.
April 25 last year was momentous for Taipei City-based Tien Li Offshore Wind Technology Co. and its Denmark-headquartered partner Vestas Wind Systems A/S, with whom it signed a cooperation agreement in 2018. Together, the companies unveiled a 9.5 megawatt wind turbine blade 85 meters long and weighing 35 tons at Tien Li’s 21-hectare factory site at Taichung Port in central Taiwan. “The completion of the first locally produced blade was an important milestone for our business and a significant step forward for the development of Taiwan’s offshore wind energy industry in line with the government’s localization policy,” said KD Wu (吳坤達), president of Tien Li.
In addition to container wharves, Taichung Port has grain, cement, bulk cargo, coal and specialized chemical wharves. (Courtesy of Taichung Port)
Blades make up about 25 percent of a wind turbine’s production cost, in part because their manufacture is extremely labor intensive, Wu explained. His company has thus far turned out 90 blades for Vestas turbines at four wind farms currently under construction off the coast of central Taiwan’s Changhua County and is scheduled to deliver a total order of 372 blades by October of next year.
Given the size, weight and complexity of turbine blades, the company’s key considerations when choosing a manufacturing and storage site are infrastructure, transport costs and land availability—including space for future expansion. Taichung Port met these criteria. “The port’s development as a wind turbine manufacturing base is on track due to its many advantages,” Wu said. “Its excellent location, industry cluster and huge tracts of land facilitate operations and expansion while reducing transport time and costs.”
Taiwan International Windpower Training Corp. is part of the Global Wind Organization, a nonprofit body for training standards in the wind industry. (Courtesy of Taiwan International Windpower Training Corp.)
Perfect Placement
Situated at the midway point on shipping routes between Northeast and Southeast Asia, Taichung’s location makes it an ideal regional transshipment hub, especially for cross-strait cargo and passenger vessels. The port covers a total area of 11,285 hectares, including 8,381 hectares at sea and 2,904 hectares on land. It comprises special areas for electricity generation, food processing, petrochemicals, warehouse logistics, and recreation and tourism. The port’s free trade zones offer a range of preferential measures like simplified customs procedures and tax incentives that allow for the quick and convenient processing, manufacturing and reexport of imported raw materials and goods. Items that leave the free trade zones can also be handled speedily: as a result of its proximity to several science and technology parks, the port is linked to extensive inland air, road and rail transportation networks.
Taichung’s major imports are coal, iron ore and wind turbine components, which are reflected in some of its top export items: iron and steel products and wind turbine parts. The total volume of cargo handled in the port in 2022 amounted to 135 million revenue tons. In the same year, the port processed the equivalent of 1.79 million 20-foot shipping containers and welcomed nearly 23,000 vessels including bulk carriers, container ships, fishing boats, oil tankers and yachts.
The giant Ferris wheel at Mitsui Outlet Park is emblematic of the port’s diversification into recreation. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
To address the distinct needs of wind turbine companies with respect to assembling, manufacturing, storing and transporting heavy, oversized components, the port undertook structural reinforcement of several existing docks. Land reclamation and the construction of two heavy lift wharves are also underway to increase the number of wharves from 63 to 78.
Turbine Central
Chen Miau-tang (陳苗鏜), vice CEO of the port, takes pride in the facility’s assembly, manufacture, maintenance and monitoring of offshore wind turbines. “With this strategic site in the middle of the western coastline, where a number of offshore wind projects are proposed, under construction or operational, it’s no wonder the port has been designated by the government as an offshore wind power base,” Chen said. Taiwan intends to reach 5.6 gigawatts of offshore wind-power capacity by building 1,000 turbines nationwide by 2025, and for this reason, Taichung Port is improving facilities and services to support the national energy policy.
The government’s localization of wind turbine component production is off to a good start. The main parts of a turbine—the blades and hub that together form a rotor, as well as the tower and nacelle—can all be assembled and manufactured at the port by Taiwan’s Tien Li, Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group, Century Huaxin Wind Energy Co., and Spain-headquartered Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, respectively. The cluster is helping develop a supply chain to boost production efficiency and ensure timely delivery of products and services.
To grow the pool of local wind energy industry personnel, Taiwan International Ports Corp., state-run operator of the country’s commercial harbors, partnered with other state-owned enterprises to establish Taiwan International Windpower Training Corp. (TIWTC) at Taichung Port in 2018. “We’ve seen a significant rise in demand for the next generation of offshore wind personnel,” Operations Manager Michael Li (李登貴) said, explaining that the organization’s training programs are formulated to meet international standard and designed to increase risk awareness and develop a competent, productive workforce. At TIWTC’s up-to-date facilities, it also provides courses in Chinese and English on first aid and rescue, blade repair, fire awareness, manual handling, sea survival, and working at heights.
Work and Play
As well as commercial functions, Taichung is actively diversifying operations to pursue growth. Apart from repositioning itself as a base for the offshore wind industry, the facility is exploring recreation and tourism opportunities. An exciting development in 2018 was the opening of Mitsui Outlet Park by Japan-based Mitsui & Co. on an 18-hectare site at the port. The multifunctional complex houses more than 200 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues along with a giant Ferris wheel that commands fantastic views out to sea across the harbor.
The newly opened Golden Tulip Jan Da Hotel-Taichung is ready to host events and international guests. (Courtesy of Golden Tulip Jan Da Hotel-Taichung)
To tap into a different aspect of the tourist market, the port administration built a modern multipurpose park that includes a hotel and an international conference center on its 2.5-hectare property. It entrusted the park’s operations to Taipei-based Jan Da Group, whose Golden Tulip Jan Da Hotel-Taichung opened for business in March. “We expect the hotel to host both tourists and foreign technicians working in offshore wind,” Chen said. “It will also provide venues for more events in the area, acting as a catalyst for further local economic development.”
The port administration is also developing a coastal recreation zone for locals and visitors alike to access waterfront space by cooperating with private investors as well as creating travel packages from Mitsui Outlet Park to tourist attractions in the vicinity. Within a half-hour drive are ecological and cultural sites such as the Gaomei Wetlands Wildlife Refuge, Wuqi fishing wharf and old street and Dajia Jenn Lann Temple, which is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. By diversifying, Taichung Port is evolving to respond to changing market trends and support new industries. “We aim to excel in a range of sectors from shipping and logistics to wind power and tourism,” Chen said.
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw