EIA for BlueFloat’s 1 GW Taiwanese Floating Offshore Wind Project Gets Green Light

Planning & Permitting

October 9, 2023, by Adnan Memija

BlueFloat Energy’s floating offshore wind project in Taiwan, called Winds of September, has achieved approval from Taiwan’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) review committee.

Named after the strong winds blowing in the Hsinchu region every September, the Winds of September project is located 25 kilometres offshore in an area of around 125 square kilometres and in water depths of around 64-96 metres.

The 1 GW floating offshore wind farm is BlueFloat Energy’s first project in Taiwan which the company unveiled last year.

In March 2023, BlueFloat Energy deployed a floating Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system at the site to gather local metocean data, including wind, wave, and current information.

The company says that it will participate in the upcoming floating wind demonstration project and the forthcoming tender of Phase III Zonal Development, all aimed at contributing to Taiwan’s net-zero goals.

At the end of last year, the Taiwanese Government closed the first offshore wind auction under its Round 3 Zonal Development Plan, selecting seven new offshore wind projects that will move forward to realisation.

The Round 3 offshore wind tenders in Taiwan are procuring project development for wind farms scheduled to go online from 2026 to 2035, during which period a total of 15 GW of new capacity will be added.