Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), a leading Danish renewable energy investor, recently inaugurated its first offshore wind farm project in the Asia-Pacific region, located in Changfang and Xidao.
The Changfang and Xidao wind farms are situated 11km off the western coast of Taiwan and boast a combined capacity of nearly 600MW. This significant addition to Taiwan’s offshore wind power capacity is expected to contribute approximately 25% of the country’s total, accelerating its energy transition and supporting its ambitious net-zero emissions target.
Illustrative image of the La Gan offshore wind farm in Vietnam, with a planned capacity of 3.5GW. CIP aims to replicate its success in Taiwan with this project. (Image source: cafef.com)
CIP has grand plans for the Asia-Pacific region, targeting investments totaling 21 GW in offshore wind projects across the region. They are currently pioneering wind farm developments in Vietnam, South Korea, and Australia, with a strong focus on local content.
In Vietnam, CIP is developing the La Gan offshore wind project in Binh Thuan province, with a planned capacity of 3.5 GW. This project is poised to become Vietnam’s first large-scale offshore wind farm, and CIP’s research indicates that local content in such a project could exceed 40%.
The La Gan wind farm is expected to attract investments of up to $10.5 billion, with $4.4 billion earmarked for expenditure in Vietnam across various sectors, including project development and management, foundation supply, onshore and offshore substations, construction port, operations, and maintenance services.
Established in 2012, CIP has rapidly risen to become the world’s largest renewable energy infrastructure fund and one of the globe’s leading offshore wind developers. With $30 billion in raised funds across 12 renewable energy infrastructure funds, CIP has developed a market-leading portfolio of approximately 120GW in renewable energy projects worldwide, nearly half of which is in offshore wind.
Returning to the Changfang and Xidao wind farms, these projects, when operating at full capacity, will generate enough energy to power approximately 650,000 Taiwanese households and are expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1.1 million tons annually.
Moreover, these wind farms boast the highest level of local content in the history of Taiwan’s offshore wind industry. The projects feature 62 Vestas V174 turbines and jacket foundations provided by local company Century Wind Power.
In terms of marine engineering, Boskalis HwaChi Offshore Wind Taiwan was responsible for transporting and installing the jacket foundations, while CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE) handled the transportation and installation of the offshore turbines. The development team successfully transferred international expertise and technology to Taiwan, fostering the growth of the local supply chain.
CIP and its partners currently own three offshore wind projects in Taiwan, totaling approximately 1.4 GW in capacity. These include Changfang and Xidao (600MW), Zhongneng (300MW), and Fengmiao (500MW). The Zhongneng project is under construction and expected to be operational by 2025, while the Fengmiao project aims for a final investment decision by the end of 2024 and commercial operation by 2027.
