Industrial motor supplier Teco Electric & Machinery Co (東元電機) has secured an order from wind turbine supplier MHI Vestas Offshore Wind to build generators for 9.5 megawatt (MW) turbines, marking the first step for the nation’s largest industrial motor manufacturer to expand its presence in local offshore wind power supply chains.
Denmark-based MHI Vestas, a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, makes the world’s most powerful commercially available turbine — the Vestas V164-9.5MW.
Teco and MHI Vestas on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation on turbine generator manufacturing and announced that they would take into account Taiwan’s harsh typhoon conditions in the design and development process.
“We’re proud to announce that our 9MW turbine platform will be typhoon-ready by 2020, putting us in a leading position for the early projects in Taiwan and ensuring that our turbine will be ready for the demanding Taiwanese site conditions,” MHI Vestas co-CEO Lars Bondo Krogsgaard said in a statement.
As part of its efforts to put down roots in Taiwan, MHI Vestas in March signed several MOUs with local suppliers, including China Steel Machinery Corp (中鋼機械), Swancor Holding Co Ltd (上緯) and Formosa Plastics Corp (台灣塑膠).
Teco, which has produced onshore wind turbine generators for years, said it aims to provide tailor-made lightweight generators featuring anti-corrosion coating for these offshore turbines.
Apart from wind turbine generators, Teco said it is also seeking opportunities to manufacture power control panels and assemble turbines for offshore energy developers.
Only through the local assembly of wind turbines by Taiwanese system manufacturers can a local supply chain be developed, leading to the localization of related manufacturing and maintenance capabilities, Teco chairwoman Sophia Chiu (邱純枝) said.
“Teco will target not only Taiwan, but also global markets, including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific [region],” Chiu said.
The motor maker’s net profit last quarter totaled NT$591.57 million (US$19.79 million), or earnings per share of NT$0.27, flat from the same period last year, mainly because of higher tax expenses.
Sales in the January-to-March period increased 2 percent annually from NT$11.92 billion to NT$12.16 billion, with operating income edging up from NT$899 million to NT$907 million.
Cumulative revenue in the first four months of this year totaled NT$16.6 billion, a 2.15 percent increase from NT$16.24 billion a year earlier, company data showed.
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