180 MW Floating Wind Project in Taiwan Passes Preliminary EIA Review

September 30, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

The Rui Li 1 floating offshore wind project, developed by a consortium comprising IX Renewables, Hexicon and GF Corporation, has passed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) preliminary review.

The consortium behind the project plans to enter the 180 MW Rui Li 1 into the upcoming floating wind demonstration tender, the first of this kind to be held in Taiwan. The tender is planned to be launched by the end of this year or in early 2025.

The wind farm is proposed to be built off the coast of Hsinchu County, at a site where the water depth ranges from 75 to 95 metres. The project would have twelve 15 MW wind turbines which could together generate 833 GWh and power about 205,000 households a year.

The project has been developed by the Dutch renewable energy project developer IX Renewables with Japanese GF Corporation and Swedish floating wind technology developer Hexicon joining this year.

Taiwan’s upcoming tender aims to select projects that will serve as demonstrations for floating offshore wind in the Taiwan Strait, paving the way for the next wave of commercial-scale offshore wind tenders, which are expected to all be floating.

The winning wind farm is expected to be constructed around 2027/2029 and connected to the grid before the end of 2030.