Swancor Renewable Energy, backed by affiliates of U.S.-based Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, is developing a 4.4 GW portfolio of offshore wind projects in the northwestern territorial waters of Miaoli County in Taiwan. The portfolio would be spread over three sites: Formosa 4-1, Formosa 4-2 and Formosa 4-3, around 18 to 20 kilometers off the coast of Miaoli County. Both bottom-fixed and floating foundations are being considered for these offshore wind projects with the final decision depending on site conditions.
With a total potential capacity of 4.4 GW, these wind farms would generate enough power to cater to the electricity requirements of over 4.5 million homes. The company has already lodged these projects with the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency this week. Provided the environmental impact assessment process is completed on time followed by securing the requisite government approvals, project contracts and financing, the Formosa 4 wind farms are expected to be operational post-2025. These projects follow the Formosa 1 (128 MW) and Formosa 2 (376 MW) also developed by Swancor Renewable Energy, which are now in operations and in construction, respectively.
Taiwan is one of the most promising countries in Southeast Asia for offshore wind development. The country’s first commercial-scale project went online in 2017 with the commissioning of the 8 MW first phase of the Formosa I project located near Miaoli on the west coast. Miaoli County’s unique natural resources make the county suitable for the development of offshore wind in Taiwan and the concerned agencies are actively developing the local renewable energy supply chain to support the expected development in the region.