Offshore the west coast of Taiwan, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has officially inaugurated the Changfang-Xidao wind project. With a total capacity of nearly 600 MW, the project’s two offshore wind farms increase Taiwan’s combined offshore capacity by approximately 25%. The Taiwanese government plans to increase the share of renewables and natural gas in the country’s energy mix to 20% and 50% respectively, while reducing the share of coal to 30% by 2025, as it works towards net zero by 2050.

Changfang-Xidao has one of the highest degrees of ‘localisation’ (use of local suppliers and vendors) in the history of Taiwan’s offshore wind industry, according to the project developer. The project comprises 62 Vestas V174 turbines and jacket foundations supplied by Taiwan’s Century Wind Power. Once fully operational, Changfang-Xidao will generate enough renewable energy to power around 650,000 households and will deliver an annual expected CO₂ reduction of 1.1mn tonnes, reports CIP.

Including this project, CIP and other partners currently have three offshore wind projects in Taiwan with a combined capacity of approximately 1,400 MW – also Zhongneng (300 MW) and Fengmiao (500 MW). Zhongneng is owned by CIP’s Flagship fund CI IV and China Steel Corporation and is under construction with commercial operations expected in 2025. Fengmiao is owned by CI V and is targeting a final investment decision by the end of 2024, with commercial operations slated in 2027.

France’s first wind farm offshore Normandy
Back in Europe, France’s first wind farm offshore Normandy has come onstream. The 500 MW Fécamp project has been developed by EDF, through its subsidiary EDF Renewables; EIH, a subsidiary of Enbridge; Canada Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments); and Skyborn.

Located between 13 and 24 km off the northern coast of France, the wind farm will help support the country’s energy transition goal of achieving a 33% share of renewable energy in its energy mix by 2030.

The Fécamp project team has worked in close consultation with all local stakeholders to best protect the landscape and surrounding environment, reports EDF. As a result, the configuration of the wind farm has been adapted with the turbines aligned in the direction of the current to allow fishing.

Noting that the Fécamp wind farm has come onstream less than two years after the commissioning of the Saint-Nazaire wind farm in Loire-Atlantique, Luc Rémont, Chairman and CEO of EDF Group, says the two projects have ‘led to the emergence of a new industrial sector in France, essential for the development of future wind farms, in particular our Calvados, Dunkirk and Manche Normandie projects’.

Saudi Arabia sets new low price for onshore wind power
Turning to wind-power financing news, Saudi Arabia is reported to have set a new record low price for onshore wind power after signing a deal with a consortium led by Marubeni of Japan.

Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has agreed a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the planned 600 MW Al-Ghat wind farm with a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.0156/kWh, according to the Saudi Press Agency. A second project, the 500 MW Waad Al-Shamal wind farm which is also being developed by the same consortium, has a LCOE of $0.017/kWh.

SPPC will purchase the produced power for 25 years once the onshore Al-Ghat and Waad Al-Shamal wind farms come onstream. They are understood to be the first wind farm projects to involve a Japanese company in Saudi Arabia.

The PPA was awarded as part of Round 4 of the Saudi National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP), which aims to have renewables accounting for a 50% share of Saudi Arabia’s energy mix by 2030.

In related Middle East news, the United Arab Emirates’ clean energy company Masdar signed an agreement earlier this month with Bahrain’s Bapco Energies to jointly develop up to 2 GW of wind projects offshore Bahrain. The country is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2035 and achieve net zero by 2060.

Major funding to support future UK offshore wind 
Meanwhile, ambitious plans to keep the UK at the forefront of technology development in offshore wind have been bolstered with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) announcing £85.6mn of capital funding for the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to expand and upgrade its testing facilities at the National Renewable Energy Centra in Blyth, Northumberland. The funding will support development of the next generation of wind turbines in the UK.

The new R&D facilities will enable the testing of blades up to 150 metres and drivetrains up to 23 MW, with the capacity for further expansion to 180 metres and 28 MW to meet future industry demand. They will enable faster product development of turbines through test, validation and certification, according to ORE Catapult and UKRI.

Commenting on the news, Dan McGrail, RenewableUK CEO, says: ‘Investing in ground-breaking research to develop the next generation of turbines is vital if this country is to retain its position as a global trailblazer in innovative offshore wind technology in the face of strong international competition. Last month we launched an Industrial Growth Plan for offshore wind which shows how proactively focusing on high-value components such as blades will boost the UK’s economy by £25bn and support an extra 10,000 jobs over the next 10 years. We have an excellent opportunity to build up new offshore wind supply chains, and the cutting-edge work being done by our colleagues at ORE Catapult will help us to achieve this.’