Taichung City Government is actively developing green energy source and intends to develop Taichung Port into an offshore wind farm. Major manufacturers such as Yeongguan Group have already established their headquarters in the park. European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan CEO Freddie Hoeglund visited Deputy Mayor Kuang-yao Chang on April 28 in hopes of strengthening collaboration and exchange between offshore power generation industries. According to Deputy Mayor Chang, the number of operational land-based wind turbines in the city will soon reach 71, generating 3.45 million kWh of electricity every year. In the future, the City Government will assist domestic and foreign manufacturers in regards to setting up headquarters in the park and professional talent training, thereby ensuring the sustainable development of green energy.

In response to the power needs of Taichung and environmental conservation, the City Government has not only made plans to generate power at Waibu Composting Plant using rice straws, while solar panels are installed at Futien Water Resources Recycling Center. Thanks to the advantage of strong coastal winds, the City Government also intends to collaborate with Port of Taichung Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. to create an offshore wind farm in Port of Taichung. There are currently 59 land-based wind turbines throughout the city, and soon the figure will reach 71, generating 3.45 million kWh of electricity every year for roughly 100,000 households.

In light of this, European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) CEO Freddie Hoeglund visited Deputy Mayor Kuang-yao Chang to strengthen collaboration and exchange between offshore power generation industries. ECCT’s Low Carbon Initiative (LCI) members, ICRT General Manager Timothy Berge and representatives from major international electronics manufactures such as Philips and Siemens all attended the meeting to exchange opinions with Economic Development Bureau of Taichung City Government Deputy Director-general I-an Li and Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Committee of Taichung City President Wang-hsiu Huang concerning the wind farm industry.

According to Deputy Mayor Chang, wind intensity in central Taiwan (extending from Dajia, Taichung to Changhua) is very high, offering tremendous potential for wind farm development. After assessing that wind farm development has no impact on migratory bird patterns, white dolphin habits and the ecological environment at Gaomei Wetlands, the City Government has offered full support for developing wind farms. On the other hand, Mayor Chia-lung Lin is also negotiating the “Port and City in One” concept with Port of Taichung Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd. in order to promote offshore wind farm development, thereby facilitating future green energy development and pollution prevention.

In light of this, CEO Hoeglund points out that the “Executive Yuan is expected to approve the Wind Farm 4-Year Project this week, has the City Government come up with concrete policy goals and action plans regarding the promotion of land-based or offshore wind farms?”

Deputy Director-general Li from Economic Development Bureau of Taichung City Government replies “Since the Port of Taichung has sufficient depth and hinterland, therefore it will be transformed into an offshore wind turbine assembly and maintenance base. The City Government will assist the manufacturers to obtain the necessary construction permits as well as subsequent traffic routes for ships, marine engineering and ship operators. The aim is to attract more domestic and foreign manufacturers to set up headquarters here, thereby transforming Port of Taichung into a wind farm cluster.

In the future, collaborations with Taiwan Wind Turbine Industry Association and Taiwan Wind Energy Association will be made to provide relevant industry matchmaking channels, in turn fostering exchange between domestic and international wind farm industries and developing the domestic wind farm market. Ultimately, the objective is to boost industry competitiveness.

Furthermore, ECCT’s LCI program Deputy Director Tung-lan Su, due to the highly technical nature, long work hours and high risk associated with wind farm industry, despite the starting salary of NT$ 50,000 for rookies, there is still a sever shortage of human resources, therefore it is hoped that the City Government can conduct industry-academia collaborations with major colleges and universities in the country.

In light of this request, Deputy Mayor Chang indicates that in order to reinforce technical and vocational education, the City Government has convened “Central Taiwan Industry 4.0 – Strategic Alliance Forum for Industry, Government, Academia and Research Institutions” with 27 universities in central Taiwan to discuss how teaching staff and talent cultivation can be strengthened in order to cater to the needs of the wind farm industry.