Orsted has launched a development fund to support Taiwan suppliers in ramping up their technological capabilities in relation to offshore wind projects happening off the island’s coast.
The Offshore Wind Industrial Development Fund, which will “nurture local talent”, will be funded by Orsted with a total amount of NT$60m (€1.7m).
The Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) will manage and distribute the fund over the next 18 months.
The aim is to ensure resources are in place for the local supply chain to “strengthen professional techniques and competence, mend the skills gap and talent shortage, and drive a healthy development of offshore wind industry in Taiwan”.
Orsted Taiwan general manager Christy Wang said: “Orsted is dedicated to promoting the development of offshore wind value chain in Taiwan.
“On the one hand, we are providing full support to cultivate Tier 1 suppliers of the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms, helping new local suppliers speed up their learning curve and overcome challenges in meeting new industrial standards of the offshore wind sector.
“On the other hand, we are making additional efforts to support local companies interested in becoming sub-tier suppliers of the offshore wind supply chain.
“The industrial development fund ensures resources are provided to potential sub-suppliers to ramp up their technologies and standards as well as train local staff in these companies to successfully enter offshore wind and create a favourable environment for the overall industrial development.”
The fund will help enhance skills of local offshore wind professionals through funding local companies to send their employees for welding and Global Wind Organisation safety training sessions.
It will also boost localisation of offshore wind technologies through offering each successful applicant company with a maximum of NT$5m to help them become suppliers for offshore wind construction as well as operations and maintenance products and services.
MIRDC is scheduled to hold an information session on 7 August in Changhua County’s Forte Hotel with another two to take place in Taipei and Kaohsiung to give more details on the application procedures and review process.
Interested local companies may apply to the fund starting from 7 August. Applications for talent trainings will be reviewed upon request until 7 August 2021, subject to fund availability.
Applications for technology localisation will be reviewed altogether after the submission deadline on 30 September 2020.