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Siemens Gamesa opens nacelle facility in Taichung
By ECCT staff writers
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has officially inaugurated the company’s first offshore nacelle assembly facility outside of Europe. According to the company’s official press release, the ceremony was attended together by central and local government authorities and wind industry partners.
As announced in 2019, the facility will now be starting regular operations, after having already completed Taiwan’s very first local offshore wind turbine nacelle assembly in early August 2021. This represents another important milestone for the company in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region, as well as for the offshore wind industry in Taiwan.
“Siemens Gamesa leads the way in providing wind turbine solutions for the Taiwanese offshore wind market with 2 GW of firm orders and an additional 1 GW in place as preferred supplier. Today’s inauguration demonstrates our pioneering spirit and commitment to leading the offshore revolution in the market and the APAC region. Working with dedicated, local professionals who strive to safely increase the deployment of offshore wind power energizes us to continue with our global growth plans,” said Marc Becker, CEO of the Offshore Business Unit in Siemens Gamesa.
The piece of land developed in Taichung measures over 30,000 square meters, and is currently used for nacelle assembly, testing, warehousing, office buildings, and outdoor storage. Construction started in April 2020 and was completed in the third quarter of this year. It will support Ørsted’s 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms, which will employ SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines. It will also provide an option for future projects in Taiwan and in the rest of the promising region.
“With Siemens Gamesa’s inauguration of Taiwan’s first nacelle assembly facility, we have achieved the significant milestone in development of offshore wind industry, and it is also seen as an important step in the implementation of local content for the industry. This is just a beginning, and I sincerely hope Siemens Gamesa can continue to expand its footprint in terms of local content and play the constructive role in enabling Taiwan’s energy transition,“ said Shen Jong-Chin, Vice Premier of Executive Yuan, Taiwan.
Siemens Gamesa was a pioneer in the offshore wind industry in Taiwan in 2016 with the installation of the first two turbines at the 8 MW Formosa 1 Phase 1 pilot project. A ten-fold increase in machines to 20 units was installed in 2019 at Formosa 1 Phase 2. Totalling 128 MW, Formosa 1 was the country’s first commercial offshore wind power project.
