Siemens said it is seeking to collaborate with local wind farm developers to build the nation’s first offshore wind turbines in 2016, a company executive said.
Siemens is working with two companies to supply wind energy solutions, Siemens Taiwan president and chief executive officer Erdal Elver told reporters last week.
In October, two wind energy companies inked agreements with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to help build offshore wind turbines with a combined annual capacity of 300 megawatts by 2020.
The ministry said it would then extend the program to increase total offshore wind power capacity to 3,000 megawatts in 2030.
The first winning bid was from Formosa Wind Power Co Ltd (海洋風力發電), an offshore wind turbine maker belonging to Swancor Industry Co Ltd (上緯企業). The second winner was a venture created by Taiwan Generations Corp (永傳能源), Century Iron and Steel Industiral Co Ltd (世紀鋼構) and CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船).
Siemens is the world’s biggest off-shore wind turbine solution provider and has helped install farms with capacity totaling 1,600 megawatts in the UK, Germany and the US.
Siemens Taiwan, which holds the energy sector as its top revenue source for last year, said revenue grew at a faster-than-expected pace of 4 percent annually in the last fiscal year to NT$15 billion after it landed a power supply order from a local contract chipmaker.
The last fiscal year ran from Oct. 1 last year through September this year.
The company originally predicted it would only grow its revenue at the same pace as GDP this year, which is expected to expand 1.74 percent year-on-year.
Siemens said it expects to increase its revenue at the same rate as GDP next year on the back of better economic recovery in Taiwan and more construction programs, primarily new transportation systems to be launched in Taoyuan, Taipei and Greater Kaohsiung, Elver said.
However, Siemens is targeting revenue growth at double GDP growth next year, he said.
Taiwan’ GDP is expected to grow by 2.59 percent annually based on a forecast from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.
“Taiwan is still in a transition period. Certain industries are still in difficult times,” Elver said. “We believe next year will be a better year for certain industries such as the machine tool industry.”
The energy and industrial sectors would be the main driving forces next year, Elver said.
Electronic automation systems, and microcontrollers used in machine tools and motors are among industrial products provided by Siemens.
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