Spain's Iberdrola has announced three new offshore wind projects off the western coast of Taiwan with combined potential capacity of around 6 gigawatts (GW). The Da-Chung Bu Offshore Wind, Guo-Feng Offshore Wind and Ju-Dao Offshore Wind will be located in the waters of Taichung, Changhua and Penghu respectively.

Iberdrola says the projects will provide a long-term pipeline for the company to establish itself in Taiwan. Water depths at the three sites are appropriate for both fixed bottom and floating offshore wind technology.

“Taiwan's ambition for significant growth in offshore wind means we have been monitoring the market closely for a number of years, and actively working to develop these new projects for over a year," says David Rowland, Iberdrola's director for global offshore wind development. “From the detailed studies we have already completed, and the knowledge we have built about the capabilities of the supply chain in Taiwan, we are enthusiastic about the potential of these new projects.”

Taiwan aims to install an additional 9GW of offshore wind by 2031 and 15GW by 2035. The government is currently in the process of finalizing its next set of policy measures. Iberdrola's three development projects are primed for entry into the forthcoming zonal development auction rounds.

In order to develop the projects, the company will set up a project office in Taipei, which will hire the local workforce and establish the supply chain. Under its renewable energy progamme, the government has been gradually stepping up local content requirements.  

Iberdrola already has 1.3GW of offshore wind capacity installed (Wikinger, East Anglia ONE and West of Duddon Sands in the United Kingdom) plus another 2.6GW under construction. Projects are also being developed in the United States, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan, Poland, Denmark and Ireland.

Iberdrola has launched an investment plan of €150 billion (US$177.13 billion) over the next decade, about €75 billion of which will be committed by 2025.