BlueFloat Energy reveals site for Taiwan’s first floating wind farm – Splash247

Spanish developer BlueFloat Energy has revealed the site location of its Winds of September Phase 1 project to participate in the upcoming floating Demonstration Program set to be launched by the Taiwanese government later in 2024.

The Winds of September Phase 1 project, in development since 2021, will involve the installation of up to 12 floating platforms for an expected capacity of 180 MW. The site is located approximately 23 kilometres off Hsinchu City and it will be Taiwan’s first floating offshore wind farm.

The company conducted a thorough energy yield assessment, informed by a floating lidar deployment campaign, and a comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment process and geophysical surveys.

“The rankings for Round 3.2 have been released, marking Taiwan’s readiness for entering the era of floating wind. However, timing is critical for successful development – announcing the feed-in tariff and selection rules in the third or fourth quarter of 2024 will enable developers to conduct site investigations during the 2025 weather window, allowing a commercial operation date by 2030,” said Michael Pinkerton, BlueFloat Energy country manager for Taiwan.

BlueFloat also signed a collaboration agreement with the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) for a capacity analysis of Taiwan’s local manufacturing supply chain for floating offshore wind mooring and anchoring systems.

The team-up hopes to identify and evaluate 15 potential suppliers for the mooring and anchoring systems through site visits starting with the demonstration program.

This will serve as a foundation for the Winds of September Phase 2 and the participation in Round 3.3 bidding. The ultimate goal is to accomplish large-scale commercial development of floating technology in Taiwan.