Swancor Renewable Energy Co (上緯新能源) yesterday announced plans for a 4.4 gigawatt (GW) offshore wind project off Miaoli County as part of its commitment toward Taiwan’s energy transformation, the company said in a statement.
The “Formosa 4” project includes three deep-water wind farms 18km to 20km off the coast, Swancor Renewable CEO Lucas Lin (林雍堯) said, adding that planning for the project began last year.
A proposal for Formosa 4 was this week submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company said.
Photo: CNA
Swancor Renewable jointly developed the Formosa 1 project, a 128 megawatt (MW) wind farm about 4km off Miaoli and the only local wind farm project in operation, and is involved in the construction of the 376MW Formosa 2 project.
Swancor Renewable would be developing Formosa 4 with the financial backing of US-based investment company Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, which holds a 95 percent stake in Swancor Renewable.
“We will go into this project with our experience from developing Formosa 1 and Formosa 2,” Lin said. “I expect to continue cultivating the positive relationships we have with the Miaoli County Government, residents and local businesses.”
“Through the development of the Formosa 4 project, we hope to develop a strong local supply chain and reach our goal of becoming a regional leader in renewable energy,” he said.
Before construction can begin, the Formosa 4 project must pass the EPA’s environmental impact assessment review and obtain a series of government approvals, as well as have the administrative contracts signed.
The Formosa 4 project is expected to be completed by 2025, Lin said, adding that the wind farm would provide a peak output of 4.4GW, or enough to provide electricity for 4.5 million families.
The waters off Miaoli boast some of the best wind farm fields in Taiwan, Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) said, expressing his backing for local wind projects.
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