The Cabinet approved June 1 a four-year wind power promotion plan that aims to increase Taiwan’s installed turbine capacity to 1.334 gigawatts by 2020.
Speaking after a briefing on the Ministry of Economic Affairs initiative, Premier Lin Chuan said that wind power will play a vital role in Taiwan’s transition to a nuclear-free country. By accelerating the deployment of cutting-edge wind power infrastructure, the plan will also foster emerging industries and strengthen the international competitiveness of the renewable energy sector, he added.
According to the MOEA, the 1.334 GW figure serves as a near-term milestone toward reaching a total installed wind power capacity of 4.2 GW by 2025—the government’s target date for generating 20 percent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources. The promotion plan also seeks to enhance energy security and promote environmental sustainability, the ministry stated.
Much of the increase in wind power capacity will be achieved through the development of offshore turbines. The government plans to help expedite the installation of facilities at designated demonstration incentive locations and promote construction at other potential sites, with a goal of reaching 520 megawatts of total installed offshore capacity by 2020.
To date, four offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 16 MW have been established as demonstration devices in the waters off northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County and central Taiwan’s Changhua County.
Under the promotion plan, the government will also work to fast-track construction of basic infrastructure for offshore wind farms, including wind turbine installation piers, submerged platforms, operation and maintenance ports and piers, as well as power transmission and distribution grids.
For onshore turbines, the development strategy prioritizes promoting viable sites and providing assistance to local governments. As of January, the nation had 682 MW in onshore wind power capacity from 346 land-based turbines, with the government aiming to increase this to 814 MW within four years.
According to the premier, Taiwan possesses strategic advantages in fostering wind power infrastructure, including expertise in electronics and machinery manufacturing as well as some of the best environmental conditions in the world for offshore wind farm development.
By encouraging collaboration between Taiwan and foreign companies, the government hopes to combine local industrial know-how with international technological and system integration capabilities in the creation of a world-class wind power sector, Lin said.
As offshore turbine applications involve multiple ministries and Cabinet-level agencies including the MOEA, Ministry of the Interior, Environmental Protection Administration and Council of Agriculture, as well as state-run Taiwan Power Co., the premier called for the establishment of a one-stop service window to speed up administrative processes and eliminate investment barriers.
According to the MOEA, the development of the wind power industry is expected to create 10,000 job opportunities in Taiwan and propel investments of roughly NT$613.5 billion (US$20.38 billion) by 2025, while reducing carbon emissions by 7.1 million metric tons annually. (CPY-E)
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