A leading British renewable energy development company is planning to enter a partnership with a Taiwanese firm to further develop wind power in Taiwan, a recent newsletter published by the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) in Taipei said.
SeaEnergy PLC and Taiwan Generations Corp (TGC) will sign a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to jointly develop offshore windfarm projects in Taiwan, the newsletter said.
“This joint project by SeaEnergy and TGC will be the first offshore windfarm collaboration between the UK and Taiwan, which also demonstrates the international and local business support for the government’s policy,” the BTCO said.
The British representative office was referring to the passage of a long-awaited renewable energy development statute that cleared the legislative floor on June 12. The legislation lays down a legal framework for encouraging investment in renewable energy production and offering incentives to local consumers who install renewable energy equipment.
In addition to permitting state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) to buy electricity generated by private renewable energy investors, the bill also authorizes the government to take measures to expedite the development of renewable energy technologies.
The BTCO said SeaEnergy was the only listed offshore wind energy company in the UK and an expert in the field.
TGC, which is a leading local offshore windfarm development company and one of Taiwan’s few energy project development firms, has conducted nearly five years of feasibility studies for a Changhua offshore windfarm project and has secured 11 permits and approval from the central government and the local authorities.
TGC is attempting to establish a platform for international players to bring in resources and successful development experience that can help Taiwan meet the goal of renewable energy development and win global recognition in the field.
According to the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), installed local wind power capacity last year reached 358,000 kilowatts, making the country the world’s 23rd-biggest producer of wind power.
Under a new government policy to develop green energy, Taiwan aims to boost wind power capacity to 980,000 kilowatts by next year, to 1.48 million kilowatts by 2015 and to 3 million kilowatts by 2025, the CEPD said.
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