Taiwan Sets Local Content Rules for First Phase of Round 3 Offshore Wind Tender

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has published a localisation policy for the first phase of its Round 3 offshore wind tenders which will be procuring project development for wind farms scheduled to go online from 2026 to 2035, with the first phase to be held for projects that will be put into operation in 2026/2027.

The rules are aimed at promoting stable development of the planned offshore wind projects and at encouraging further development of the local supply chain for future projects by adopting three practices to implement this: industrial procurement, industrial cooperation, and industrial investment, according to a press release from the MOEA.

Following the announcement of the offshore wind allocation plan for the period between 2026 and 2035 from August, the localisation requirements for 2026/2027 have been set at 60 per cent, excluding some of the products and services that Taiwanese supply chain could likely not provide by that time.

The new rules are more loose for some technologies such as generators, submarine cables, and gearboxes. They will now be adjusted so the developers will still get points.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs also added that the key development projects added in the original notice draft take into account that new large-scale wind turbines beyond 14 MW are in the development stage and some component specifications and technologies have progressed, with the local industry’s technical capabilities for the short term yet to be evaluated.

To encourage developers to cooperate with domestic players and vice versa, the MOEA is setting up a bonus mechanism which encourages local manufacturers to invest in research and development and cooperate with international players. This includes the local supply chain projects in developing blade materials, expanding the development of services such as operation and maintenance as well as engineering design services such as wind turbine superstructures, etc.

The government expects that the approach to developing 2026/2027 projects will effectively support the growth of the domestic supply chain in the offshore wind industry, which is estimated to employ 29,450 people.

For projects planned to be built and operational after the first phase of Round 3, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said it would continue to establish consensus on development through dialogue with the industry, based on the results of industrial investment and technological development.