Mitsui & Co and Northland Power Inc (北陸能源) are to invest in a ¥960 billion (US$6.5 billion) offshore wind project off Taiwan’s east coast that would generate enough electricity for 1 million households.
Seventy-three large turbines would be installed in the offshore area about 45 to 70km off of Changhua County, with power being produced from the end of 2025 and the project being completed a year later, the Japanese company said in a statement released yesterday. Mitsui would have a 40 percent shareholding in the development, which would have a 1,022 megawatt capacity.
The rest of the Hai Long Offshore Wind Power Project (海龍離岸風電計畫) would be owned by Northland, a Canadian company, Mitsui said.
Photo: Bloomberg
Agreements have been signed to sell the green electricity to Taiwan Power Co (台電) under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and to a private power user in Taiwan under a 30-year PPA.
The investment decision comes as soaring costs derail offshore wind projects around the globe, even as demand for renewable power has jumped. Mitsui, one of the largest Japanese trading houses, is trying to move away from fossil fuels, while Taiwan is targeting 5.6 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2025, up from just 237 megawatt in 2021.
Mitsui plans to invest ¥260 billion in the project, while ¥540 billion would be raised via financing, it said. The company’s shares fell 1.9 percent as of 2:21pm in Tokyo yesterday, outpacing a 0.5 percent drop in the Nikkei index.
Separately, the Hai Long Offshore Wind Project announced yesterday that it has signed credit agreements for NT$118 billion (US$3.67 million) in long-term financing. Once financing is completed, it would be the largest offshore wind project financing to date in Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region, according to a statement posted on its Web site. This not only signifies a big milestone for the project, but also demonstrates a new page for the nation’s green finance.
The project is expected to be connected to the power generation grid between 2025 and 2026, the statement said. Creating more than 5,000 jobs throughout its lifetime, the Hai Long Project would become the largest single wind farm in Taiwan and supply electricity to more than 1 million households, it said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said its materials management head, Vanessa Lee (李文如), had tendered her resignation for personal reasons. The personnel adjustment takes effect tomorrow, TSMC said in a statement. The latest development came one month after Lee reportedly took leave from the middle of last month. Cliff Hou (侯永清), senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer, is to concurrently take on the role of head of the materials management division, which has been under his supervision, TSMC said. Lee, who joined TSMC in 2022, was appointed senior director of materials management and
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Thursday met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, days before a planned trip to China by the head of the world’s most valuable chipmaker, people familiar with the matter said. Details of what the two men discussed were not immediately available, and the people familiar with the meeting declined to elaborate on the agenda. Spokespeople for the White House had no immediate comment. Nvidia declined to comment. Nvidia’s CEO has been vocal about the need for US companies to access the world’s largest semiconductor market and is a frequent visitor to China.
Hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan and upscale supermarket chain Mia C’bon on Saturday announced the suspension of their partnership with Jkopay Co (街口支付), one of Taiwan’s largest digital payment providers, amid a lawsuit involving its parent company. Carrefour and Mia C’bon said they would notify customers once Jkopay services are reinstated. The two retailers joined an array of other firms in suspending their partnerships with Jkopay. On Friday night, popular beverage chain TP Tea (茶湯會) also suspended its use of the platform, urging customers to opt for alternative payment methods. Another drinks brand, Guiji (龜記), on Friday said that it is up to individual
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