On August 5th, 2022, Bureau of Energy (BOE), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), held the "Explanatory Meeting for Floating Wind Demonstration Project" to explain the "Floating Wind Farm Demonstration Plan" to the public and to collect opinions and suggestions from each sector, forging consensus and improving the Floating Wind Farm Demonstration Plan for the subsequent announcement process.

In line with the 2050 net-zero carbon emission policy, and the direction of supporting domestic green power demand and sustainable development, while also considering diverse aspects of social environment and ecology, MOEA has planned the Floating Wind Farm Demonstration Project. BOE emphasizes that European countries like the United Kingdom, Portugal, Norway, and France, and Asian countries, such as China and Japan, have already had real cases of floating wind power installation. Taiwan will also invest in the development and verification of floating wind farms and plan ahead for Taiwan's floating offshore wind power development, in terms of regulations, technology, and infrastructure, in order to achieve the long-term development goals of offshore wind power in Taiwan.

MOEA adds that, according to the "Directions of Application for Offshore Wind Zonal Development," it does not impose any restrictions on the foundation type, and several wind farms have already planned to use floating foundation; however, there is a need for the government to initiate a demonstration program to clarify the possible problems that may occur in the development of floating wind power. The preliminary planning concept for the demonstration project has been proposed in today's meeting. Applicants may choose their own wind farm sites as long as it is located outside the subtidal line; moreover, the total installation capacity is limited to 100 MW. Of course, the site may not overlap with environmentally sensitive areas, and it should be approved by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Task Force in the preliminary meeting.

The demonstration project scheme is planned to be announced in Q4 of this year (2022), with the selection of the developers taking place next year (2023), and the selected wind farms must be commissioned by year 2026.

The MOEA reiterates that the development direction is to support domestic green power demand and sustainable development, while also taking into consideration of diverse aspects like social environment and ecology. To further development offshore wind power, expansion towards deep sea areas is the future mainstream, and since floating technology does not require piling, which is friendlier to the environment, it has become a prominent international trend of development. The suggestions from representatives of various sectors regarding the demonstration plan, such as flexible adjustment of installation capacity, incorporation of industrial relevance, and planning of port infrastructure, will be included as policy-making references, so as to expedite the forging of consensus and completion of the announcement process by the end of the year, and to deploy in advance in the development of domestic floating offshore wind power technology and related supporting facilities.

Spokesperson for Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs: Deputy Director-General, Chun-Li Lee
Phone: 02-2775-7702
Mobile: 0936-250-838
Email: chunlee@moea.gov.tw

Business Contact: Director, Chung-Hsien Chen
Phone: 02-2775-7770
Mobile: 0919-998-339
Email: ctchen2@moea.gov.tw