Taiwan's offshore wind industry development has reached another milestone. The Hai Long Offshore Wind Project (Hai Long Project) is pleased to jointly announce with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (Siemens Gamesa) that its expanded Taichung Nacelle Plant is officially starting production. This collaboration involves the upgrade of the local assembly plant by Siemens Gamesa to meet the demand for the Hai Long Project's 14MW wind turbines. The completed Nacelle Plant is expected to begin supplying turbines to the Hai Long wind farm in the second quarter of 2025 and the Hai Long project will start offshore installation in the same year. The expanded manufacturing plant is a crucial piece to delivering the timely grid connection of the Hai Long wind farm.
Siemens Gamesa began the expansion project of the Taichung nacelle assembly plant to convert the production line into a complete assembly line for the production and assembly of hubs and nacelle back-end and will produce the 14MW nacelles to be installed at the Hai Long wind farm. A grand groundbreaking ceremony was held in September 2022 and after less than two years, the expansion project has been completed, and the production line is officially operational. The wind turbine components assembled here exceed 10,000 parts, including a substantial list of components sourced from new local Taiwanese suppliers, and the factory area and number of employees have tripled. This is Siemens Gamesa’s first nacelle manufacturing plant outside Europe, making it not only Taiwan’s only offshore wind turbine nacelle plant but also the largest in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting its significance.
In October 2022, the Hai Long Project and Siemens Gamesa signed the Turbine Supply Agreement and Service and Availability Agreements for wind turbine supply and maintenance services. This cooperation is not only the largest manufacturing contract for the Hai Long Project but also enabled Siemens Gamesa to realize its expansion plans for the nacelle plant in Taiwan, firmly establishing a robust local supply chain for Taiwan's offshore wind industry. The first nacelle has now begun manufacturing.
Tim Kittelhake, CEO of the Hai Long Project, stated, "With the Hai Long Project's financing in place and entering the offshore construction phase, we have successfully completed several key offshore construction milestones, including the installation of the offshore substation for Hai Long 2, the jacket foundation installation for the offshore substation of Hai Long 3, and the piling of 108 pin piles at 36 wind turbine locations as of today. The launch of Siemens Gamesa's nacelle production line today marks another significant milestone for the project. The Hai Long Project plans to start wind turbine installation in the second quarter of next year, aiming to complete the construction of Hai Long 2 by the end of the year and Hai Long 3 by 2026. We are confident in completing the wind farm construction on schedule and to the highest quality, implementing the highest environmental, health, and safety standards to ensure the safe progress of the project."
Vinod Philip, Executive Vice President of Siemens Energy AG, inaugurated the expansion of this factory during his first visit to the Asia-Pacific region since his appointment as responsible for the wind power business Siemens Gamesa. He said “Our Taichung plant is a testament to our commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. As of today, 70 percent of all wind turbines in the Taiwan Strait are Siemens Gamesa wind turbines. The Hai Long offshore wind project will be the first to use 14 MW Siemens Gamesa nacelles produced in Taichung.”
Niels Steenberg, Chairman and Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa Offshore for Asia-Pacific pointed out, “Today marks a significant milestone not only for Siemens Gamesa but also for Taiwan's offshore wind industry. The inauguration of our Taichung nacelle plant for the latest 14MW wind turbines underscores our commitment to local manufacturing and knowledge transfer. This facility will not only support Taiwan's renewable energy goals but also serve as a crucial hub for the entire Asia-Pacific region. We are proud to lead this transition and contribute to a more sustainable future.”
The Hai Long Project has a total installed capacity exceeding 1GW and is expected to connect to the grid and commence generating power between 2025 and 2026. Once in operation, it will stand as Taiwan's largest single offshore wind development project, contributing to the nation's target of achieving 15 GW of offshore wind capacity between 2026 and 2035 in its renewable energy portfolio.
