Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S (CIP) yesterday inked a priority contractor deal with CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering Co Ltd (台船環海) for it to install wind turbines off the coast of Changhua County.
CSBC-DEME is a joint venture formed in 2017 by CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) and GeoSea NV, a Belgian offshore solutions company.
The venture focuses on engineering, procurement, construction and installation in the offshore construction industry.
Under the deal, CSBC-DEME would be tasked with transporting and installing 62 wind turbine generators for CIP’s Chang Fang (彰芳) and Xidao (西島) projects, which are situated off the coast of Changhua County and would have a combined capacity of 600 megawatts, CIP said.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2021 for both projects and to be completed by the end of 2023, CIP said at the opening ceremony for CSBC-DEME’s Taipei office.
CIP Taiwan project office chief executive officer Jesper Krarup Holst said that the amplified economic scale would drive rapid development of a local supply chain.
CIP Taiwan project office director Marina Hsu (許乃文) told the Taipei Times by telephone that expansion of the local supply chain would provide the nation with the ability to train young talent, which the wind power industry currently lacks.
“Taiwanese companies still have a long way to go,” Hsu said, adding that small and medium-sized enterprises that want to partake in the wind power industry would have to demonstrate a willingness to invest in techniques and equipment.
“[Those] companies must be insurable and bankable,” she said, adding that companies must also produce proof of their financial capability to shoulder such investments.
The firms would need to work on abiding by environmental safety and health regulations, she added.
“Our goal is to reach zero-harm, which is vital for local companies to comprehend,” Hsu said.
CIP is nevertheless confident about developing the nation’s wind power industry, as the company plans to further cooperate with CSBC-DEME in domains such as engineering design and the planning of operational procedures, she said.
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