Siemens Gamesa has today held a launch ceremony in Taiwan for the company’s first offshore nacelle assembly facility outside of Europe.
Construction is due to begin in 2020 at the site located in the port of Taichung, with production scheduled for the following year.
The facility will then support Orsted’s 900MW Greater Changhua 1&2a project, for which 8.0-167 DD turbines will be used.
The turbine manufacturer said today is an “important milestone for the company in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region”.
The factory is being built on land covering 30,000 square metres, and will be used for nacelle assembly, testing, warehousing, office buildings, as well as outdoor storage.
Siemens Gamesa said it is also working closely with Taiwan International Ports Corporation to establish inbound and outbound logistics in newly-established quaysides nearby.
The company currently has offshore nacelle assembly and manufacturing facilities in Germany and Denmark.
Siemens Gamesa offshore business unit chief executive Andreas Nauen said: “Our strategic investment in Taichung harbour with this nacelle assembly facility continues as previously communicated.
“Doing so ahead of the local content requirement timeframe demonstrates our confidence in the long-term potential of offshore wind power for Taiwan and other APAC markets.
“The strong foothold we are building here will enable us to better meet our customers’ needs in this market and in other parts of the region.”
Siemens Gamesa offshore Asia-Pacific general manager Niels Steenberg said: “Thanks to this nacelle assembly facility, we will be creating more opportunities of working with the growing localised supplier network as well as developing a skilled offshore workforce.
“All these efforts will contribute to building a competitive local supply chain, in line with international standards in terms of safety, costs, quality, and making Taiwan a leading offshore market.”