Taiwan has been proactively developing the construction of offshore wind farms, and as the development sites have shifted from the shallow water to the deep water, the application of floating wind farms in Taiwan has become the focus of both the industry and the academia. The Metal Industries Research & Development Centre collaborated with the Taiwan Team, led by SRE, the bellwether of local offshore wind energy, to co-host the "Conference for the Promotion of Local Industry Chain of Floating Wind Turbines" on February 16th, 2022 to discuss the potentials and challenges of the localization of industry chain for floating wind turbines in Taiwan. This is the first professional conference for the discussion of settlement of floating wind turbine industry in Taiwan, not only to devise the development strategy for the next phase of offshore wind energy in Taiwan but also to prepare for the potential needs for technology export in the future.

Lucas Lin, CEO of Swancor Renewable Energy states that the industry chain of stationary wind farms has already developed for over 20 years in Europe, but to the supply chain in Taiwan, the floating technology initiates the possibility of catching up with Europe, allowing Taiwan to have the opportunity to compete with Europe on an equal footing. The collaboration with MIRDC (Metal Industries Research & Development Centre) on the discussion of development strategy for the local industry chain of floating wind turbines takes the priority and foresight of the floating wind farm technology into consideration, incorporates the technology into the planning for wind farms and participates in the development selection in hope for the offshore wind energy industry of Taiwan to lead the trend and stay ahead among Asian countries.

In addition, there are over 30 well-known teams worldwide engaging in the development of floating offshore wind energy. Four years have passed since the first commercial floating offshore wind farm was completed and became operational in Europe in 2017, proving the feasibility of business operation for floating wind turbines. Now, governments around the world are optimistic about the business opportunities of floating offshore wind energy in the market. As a result, the MIRDC (Metal Industries Research & Development Centre) collaborates with the Taiwan Team, jointly ventured by the local developer Swancor Renewable Energy and its supply chain, to co-host the conference, discussing the domestic industrial capability and possible breakthroughs at the present stage, focusing on the feasibility of the promotion of floating wind turbine industry chain in Taiwan. From now on, the Centre will coordinate domestic and foreign industry expertise and company resources to assist in the establishment of research and development for floating offshore wind energy and creating cooperation opportunities among the industry, the academia, and the research institute so the manufacturers in Taiwan may have further participation and become a part of the supply chain, quickly connecting to the international market in the future.

[About the Taiwan Team]
Jointly ventured by the domestic developer and its supply chain elites, the Taiwan Team was established in July 2021, members include Swancor Renewable Energy, Tien-Li Offshore Wind Technology Co., Ltd., Yeongguan Group, and J&V Energy Technology Co., Ltd. The members of the team will engage in the development of large wind farms such as the "Formosa 4" and "Formosa 5" that are currently in planning stage, hoping to map out a new ground for the next phase of development of the offshore wind energy of Taiwan.