Total enters offshore wind project in Taiwan

Total has signed an agreement with wpd to acquire a 23 percent interest in Yunlin Holding GmbH, the owner of Yunlin offshore wind farm located off the coast of Taiwan, around 200 kilometers southwest of Taipei.

The project, currently under construction, represents production capacity of 640 megawatts (MW) and benefits from a 20-year guaranteed-price power purchase agreement (PPA) with the state-owned company Taipower of US$250/MWh for the first 10 years and US$125/MWh for the following 10 years. For this acquisition of a 23 percent interest, Total will pay to wpd a consideration based on its share of past costs.

The acquisition is subject to government approval.

Located around 10 kilometers offshore at water depths ranging from 7 to 35 meters, the wind farm will comprise 80 wind turbines with a unit capacity of 8 MW. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2022. Once on stream, the project will produce 2.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity per year, enough to serve the power needs of 605,000 households.

Procurement of the main components has been finalised and marine works are under way. The project reached a major milestone with the installation of the first wind turbine on April 23.

Identified by Taiwan’s authorities as a key area in the development of renewable energies, offshore wind power will be a significant contributor to the objective of generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2025 while fostering the emergence of a local wind power industry. Taiwan is one of the priority regions selected by Total for its development in offshore wind power in Asia.

“This agreement provides Total with an opportunity to gain a foothold in one of Asia’s main offshore wind markets and strengthens the Group’s position in this fast-growing segment, in line with its strategy of profitable development in renewables worldwide,” said Stéphane Michel, President Gas, Renewables & Power at Total. “Taiwan has been a pioneer in developing offshore wind power in Asia, and we are proud to contribute to the transformation of its energy mix.”

The project is currently 48 percent-owned by wpd, 25 percent by EGCO (Electricity Generating Public Company Limited) and 27 percent by a consortium of Japanese investors led by Sojitz (Sojitz Corporation, ENEOS Corporation, Chugoku Electric Power, Chudenko Corporation and Shikoku Electric Power).