Danish firm DONG Energy opens Taiwan office

It eyes developing 4 offshore wind farms in Changhua County.

DONG Energy inaugurated its office in Taipei and shared its ambition to develop four offshore wind farms in the Changhua area.

Denmark's largest energy company currently has 3GW offshore wind installed in Northern Europe, which equals the Taiwanese government’s 2025 offshore wind target. Taiwan has similar geographic conditions as Northern Europe – conditions which are very suitable for offshore wind farms and has a solid regulatory framework in place which offers visibility for the industry and attracts investments.

Among the 36 offshore wind farm sites planned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), 21 sites are located in the Changhua County. DONG Energy is currently carrying out a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) on four of these sites.

Provided that the EIAs are approved by the Taiwanese government and subject to investment approvals by the company's Board of Directors, DONG Energy intends to develop the sites into a total offshore wind capacity of at least 2GW and make a significant investment into Taiwan's energy infrastructure.

This would not only support the green transition of Taiwan’s energy sector, but also help create a Taiwanese supply chain and local jobs. The potential construction of offshore wind farms could expectedly start in 2021-2024.

"Offshore wind can become a key component in Taiwan’s future energy mix and provide a stable, utility-scale and green source of power from the strong winds in the Taiwan Strait,” Matthias Bausenwein, DONG Energy Asia-Pacific general manager, said.