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Wind Power News: Taiwan
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Wind power developers miss deadline
Four offshore wind power developers yesterday failed to secure power purchase agreements with a favorable feed-in tariff of NT$5.8498 per kilowatt-hour for their six projects, as they did not receive approvals from the Changhua County Government and the Bureau of Energy. Yesterday was the last day for developers to seize the lucrative rate, as any projects approved hereafter would be subject to a lower rate at NT$5.106 for the next 20 years. The county government – which oversees the six offshore . . . Complete story »
Concern in Changhua over wind power
Changhua County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei’s (王惠美) victory in last month’s nine-in-one elections brought a change in local governance that has raised concern over possible increased political risk for offshore wind farm investment, although wind power developers can still secure power purchase agreements with a more favorable feed-in tariff of NT$5.8498 per kilowatt-hour if they receive permits from the local government and the Bureau of Energy, and submit the documents to Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) by Wednesday. Six offshore wind . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine in Taiwan’s Penghu relocated due to bad feng shui
Just before Ghost Month, it was announced that a wind turbine in Taiwan’s Penghu County is to be relocated because it is considered to have bad for feng shui (風水) for a nearby cemetery, reported the Taiwan Environmental Information Center (TEIA). Wind Turbine A-01 at Longmen is to be relocated 180 meters south-southwest of its current location on a beach because residents say it negatively affects the feng shui of a nearby cemetery. Chen Yi-Cheng (陳一成), Head of Taipower’s Renewable . . . Complete story »
EPA rejects Eolfi wind farm project plan
French energy developer Eolfi’s offshore floating wind farm project off the coast of Taoyuan was yesterday rejected by an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) ad hoc committee, even after the developer proposed a 75 percent reduction to its development area. The project, named W1N, was planned by the French company’s Taiwanese subsidiary, Eolfi Greater China, on a site between 15km and 22km from the shores of Taoyuan’s Guanyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. Since a first meeting on Nov. 3, the . . . Complete story »
EPA discusses wind farm monitoring standards
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday held an expert meeting to evaluate the monitoring standards for offshore wind farm projects, at which an expert said that the standards should be backed up by more solid research on the marine environment around the project sites. The agency on Nov. 29 said that its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Committee had given initial approval to 19 projects with an aggregate capacity of 10.07 gigawatts. The committee has required developers to demarcate an alert . . . Complete story »
Seven wind farms win initial okay
The Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) ad hoc committee yesterday approved seven offshore wind farm projects proposed by Denmark-based Orsted Energy and Nantou-based Swancor Renewable Energy Co. The projects – four by Orsted and three by Swancor – are to be located off the coast Changhua County, which has become a competitive battlefield for wind farm developers. However, the ad hoc committee’s conclusions must still be confirmed by the EPA’s Environmental Impact Assessment committee. Yesterday’s approved projects bring to 14 the number of . . . Complete story »
Changhua wind farm project must pass second assessment
The government’s first-phase offshore wind-power generation project has been remanded to the developers, who have been asked to resubmit their proposal once they have more data on the project, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. The Fuhai Changhua Offshore Wind power Generation Project had been referred to a second-stage environmental assessment due the project’s proximity to an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin habitat and protected reefs. According to Articles 8 to 12 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (環境影響評估法), a detailed . . . Complete story »
Nine offshore wind farm plans rejected by EPA committee
Nine planned offshore wind farms near Changhua County on Friday failed a committee review of their environmental impact analyses, the Environmental Protection Administration said. The Bureau of Energy in 2015 announced 36 sites for offshore wind farms, 21 of which are situated off Changhua County. Wind farm developers are required to pass environmental impact assessments by the end of this year to gain development approval. The EPA on Friday held three meetings to review the analyses for nine offshore wind . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind plans draw fishermen’s ire
Local fishing industry representatives on Wednesday voiced their opposition to plans for an offshore wind farm off the northern coastline, saying the project’s site overlaps with a fishing zone. Proposed by Equis Energy Taiwan, a subsidiary of the Singapore-based Equis Private Ltd, the power plant is to be located in the sea off New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Sanjhih (三芝) districts. The zone is one of the 36 locations that the Ministry of Economic Affairs identified as suitable for . . . Complete story »
Taiwan anti-wind turbine protesters acquitted after three-year trial
In April 2013, Yuanli Self-Help Group was founded to protest against the wind turbine built by IntraVest, a German-based wind energy enterprise. The group claimed that IntraVest ignored the residents’ opinions before building wind turbines. 20 residents and students tied themselves to the motor base of the windmills with iron chains. Some of them even threw themselves beneath the construction vehicles in attempt to stop the construction. The protesters were indicted for coercion offence. Last year, the defendants were sentenced . . . Complete story »
