Eolfi Hits a Setback in Taiwan

Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has returned an Environmental Assesment Report (EIA) of a floating wind project developed by Eolfi back to the Bureau of Energy, citing navigation safety concerns.

The W1N floating wind project, being developed by Eolfi’s subsidiary Eolfi Greater China, is situated some 15 kilometres off the coast of Taoyan.

Following the technical review, the EIA was returned to Bureau of Energy due to the project’s boundaries overlapping with a cross-strait navigation channel.

According to Eolfi, one of the reasons the EIA was returned could be the fact that an adjustment to the cross-strait navigation channel was published on 28 November, after the Bureau of Energy filed the project’s EIA to EPA.

”Eolfi has been active in Taiwan since 2012 and its W1N project is one of the only two offshore wind projects in Taiwan that have received grid connection consent from TPC, while all others are suffering from grid connection constraints,” Eolfi told Offshore WIND.

”The Selection Scheme & Auction system to be implemented in 2018 would certainly benefit from the inclusion of W1N project. Eolfi is confident that such case is feasible.”

Earlier this month, Spain’s Cobra Concesiones agreed to take a majority share in Eolfi Greater China, thus joining Eolfi in the development of a total of five floating wind projects in Taiwan with a combined capacity of 2.5GW.

”Based on the consistent political support received from the highest levels of the government of Taiwan, EOLFI France and ACS Cobra have jointly decided to accelerate their alliance in Taiwan and pursue the development of floating offshore wind projects, including W1N,” the company said.