Marking a milestone for its ambitious wind-power initiative, Taiwan's first company for wind-power marine engineering CDWE inaugurated its operation on May 20. The company aims to play the role of general contractor for such engineering works as engineering design, procurement, and building and installation of wind turbines.

A joint venture of CSBC Corp. and GeoSea, the subsidiary of the leading Danish marine-engineering firm DEME, CDWE has signed a contract with CIP (Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners) for the transport and installation of wind turbines for two projected offshore wind farms, dubbed Changfang and Hsitao, respectively, off the coast of Changhua County, with total capacity of 600 MW, scheduled for completion within three years.

Cultivation of marine-engineering talent

Cheng Kuo-cheng, chairman of CDWE, noted that CIP has pledged to transfer technology to Taiwan and help the latter cultivate marine-engineering talent, making Taiwan a key base for offshore wind-power industry in Asia.

Cheng Wen-lung, chairman of CSBC Corp., pointed out that CDWE will be the vanguard for Taiwan to foray into the realm of marine engineering and is a fruit of the CSBC's diversification strategy.

Cheng Kuo-cheng reported that initially major working ships, including wind-turbine installation ships, crane vessels, and cable ships will be dispatched by DEME. However, the government will step up the localization of offshore wind-power projects, including related marine engineering works, with a scale estimated to top NT$330 billion by 2025, according the Industrial Development Bureau, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

(Collaborative media: TechNews, first photo courtesy of CDWE)