The offshore wind farm jointly invested by Sojitz Corporation of Japan and companies from Germany, France, Thailand, and other countries has been completed, with a completion ceremony held on March 4. Sojitz Corporation announced that the offshore wind farm located off the coast of Yunlin County in the Taiwan Strait has a top-tier scale and a generating capacity of 640 megawatts (MW). The eighty wind turbines can provide electricity equivalent to the annual usage of 600,000 households. Reports indicate that Taiwan plans to cease operations of all nuclear power plants within this year, aiming to increase the share of wind renewable energy in its power generation to 20%.
Sojitz’s chairman, Masayoshi Fujimoto, stated that there is significant growth potential in Taiwan’s wind power market. With rich experience, Sojitz hopes to actively advance while considering economic benefits.
Another offshore wind farm funded by the Japanese company JERA is currently operational in Taiwan, and an increasing number of overseas companies are participating in the development of renewable energy in Taiwan.
Introduction to Sojitz Corporation’s Offshore Wind Farm in Yunlin, Taiwan
Sojitz Corporation completed its investment in the Yunlin offshore wind farm in April 2019, with eighty wind turbines installed. The wind farm is scheduled to commence operations on January 30, 2025, and the current official progress report indicates completion.
The wind farm’s generating capacity reaches 640 MW, reputed to be capable of supplying Taiwan with the largest amount of wind power energy, providing approximately one year’s worth of clean energy for about 600,000 households. When the generation reaches 2,400 gigawatt-hours (GWh), it can meet about 90% of the electricity demand of general households in Yunlin County, providing stable power supply to the region and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.2 million tons annually.
This renewable energy project is geographically located 8 to 17 kilometers offshore from Yunlin County in central Taiwan. The electricity generated by the eighty wind turbines installed in the area will be supplied to the Taiwan Power Company through two onshore substations located near Taixi Township and Sihu Township in Yunlin County, implemented jointly by Yuneng Wind Power Co., Ltd., Skyborn Renewables GmbH, TotalEnergies SE, and Electricity Generating Public Company Limited.
After amending the law in 2017, Taiwan plans to completely shut down its nuclear power plants by 2025 and promote renewable energy as an alternative, aiming to increase the share of renewable energy in power generation to 20%. Due to the favorable wind and climatic conditions in Yunlin, the region is well-suited for the development of wind renewable energy, and there is high local expectation for offshore wind power generation, with many development projects continually being promoted.
Taiwan aims to completely stop nuclear power generation; however, this often sparks heated discussions on both sides. Although several offshore wind farms have been completed, all parties are still evaluating the feasibility of fully replacing nuclear power generation. Currently, the No. 3 nuclear power plant is in operation, while the No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants have been decommissioned as planned. The Longmen Center (Nuclear Power Plant No. 4) is under asset maintenance management as per government directives.
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