Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has awarded the first two local supply agreements for offshore wind projects in Taiwan in ceremonies in Taipei.
Firstly, Swancor will supply resin used in the blades slated for the Formosa 1 Phase 2 offshore wind power plant. Secondly, the newly-formed partnership between CS Wind and Chin Fong will supply 100%-localized towers to meet the localization requirement on wpd’s Yunlin offshore wind power project in 2021.
The choice of Swancor resin in Formosa 1 Phase 2 blades, due for installation in 2019, comes as the result of months of cooperation between SGRE and Swancor, along with a trusted long-term partnership between the two parties. The 120 MW Formosa 1 Phase 2 project will consist of 20 SWT-6.0-154 Direct Drive wind turbines.
Andreas Nauen, Siemens Gamesa’s Offshore CEO said: “Signing our first firm purchase order for local turbine components in Taiwan is a watershed moment for Siemens Gamesa. We’re proud to do so with our long-term partner and industry pioneer Swancor, moving the Taiwanese offshore wind supply chain forward together. We’re furthermore looking forward to expanding our collaboration with Swancor in making Taiwan an offshore wind center in Asia-Pacific.”
“We are pleased to be selected by the world leader in offshore wind SGRE, a trusted partner of Swancor. We would like to express our gratitude to SGRE for assisting Swancor in becoming part of their global supply base, and eager to strengthening our cooperation, both in Taiwan and globally,” added Robert Tsai, Chairman of Swancor.
SGRE also signed a supply contract for local towers from CS Wind and its partner Chin Fong. In the initial step, the partnership will manufacture and supply towers for upcoming Taiwanese projects under local content requirements.
CS Wind, a global supplier of wind turbine towers for both offshore and onshore who will also supply towers to Formosa 1 phase 2 project, and Chin Fong Machine Industrial, Taiwan’s largest maker of mechanical power presses and world’s leading provider of metal forming technologies, have joined forces.
The two companies will utilize Chin Fong’s existing facilities at Taichung Harbor to deliver localized towers beginning 2021 to wpd’s Yunlin offshore wind power plant. SGRE was awarded preferred supplier status for the project in May 2018. The project is expected to feature 80 SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines to be installed in two phases.
“CS Wind is a strategic partner of SGRE globally, delivering wind turbine towers to numerous projects around the globe. We strongly believe in the combination of their specialist knowledge with Chin Fong’s skills and strong local connection in Taiwan. Together, they have a great location to serve most of the Taiwanese offshore projects, doing so at an attractive price level with a fast start of production. We will be well-prepared for the future local content requirements for towers when they become effective in 2021,” stated Niels Steenberg, Executive General Manager of Siemens Gamesa Offshore for Asia-Pacific.
“CS Wind has expanded aggressively to secure the pole position in the wind power tower industry. We view this opportunity to capture a leading market share in Taiwan as key to becoming the global market leader together with our activities in the UK and Vietnam,” said Seong-Gon Gim, Chairman of CS Wind.
“Chin Fong views this partnership as a great possibility as we look to expand our core business from the automotive industry to renewable energy. We are proud to contribute to the Taiwan offshore industry as the leading wind power tower manufacturer, bringing jobs to Taichung Harbor. I am very pleased by the investment decision made by CS Wind and proactive approach of SGRE to materialize this local tower manufacturing facility,” added Dr. Eugene Chang, Chairman of Chin Fong.