Swancor Renewable Energy signs floating wind MOU in Taiwan

Swancor Renewable Energy and Taiwan’s Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on floating offshore wind.

Under the MOU, the two parties will cooperate on advancing the deployment of floating wind technology in Taiwanese waters and supporting the development of a local supply chain for floating wind.

The MOU was signed at the Energy Taiwan 2020 forum, held from 14 to 16 October in Taipei, where Swancor Renewable Energy’s CEO said that many countries have adopted floating wind, including Norway, the UK, France, Spain, Japan, and South Korea, and that Taiwan holds excellent resources for installing floating wind platforms in deeper waters.

Less than a month ago, Swancor Renewable Energy revealed plans to develop the 4.4 GW Formosa 4 offshore wind project off the Miaoli County in Taiwan, where it might deploy floating wind turbines.

Namely, the company said in September that both bottom-fixed and floating foundations were under consideration for the Formosa 4 development, with the choice of foundation technology subject to site conditions.

The project would consist of three sites: Formosa 4-1, Formosa 4-2 and Formosa 4-3, located from 18 to 20 kilometres offshore.

The developer has lodged the projects with the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency, with a plan to have the wind farms operational post-2025.