K2 Management has been selected by BlueFloat Energy in the development of their first offshore floating wind project in Taiwan ahead of upcoming round three market auction.

With a planned capacity of 1 GW, the wind farm, named ‘Winds of September’ honouring the strong winds blowing in the Hsinchu region every September, is BlueFloat Energy’s first floating offshore wind project in Taiwan. Located 25 km off the coast of Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City, the wind farm will be positioned in an area of around 125 km2 at around 70-96m water depth.

A pioneer in the Asian offshore wind market, Taiwan benefits from some of the world’s best offshore wind resources with strong growth potential for its fast-evolving floating wind industry. As the country starts to put in place a regulatory regime structure for new floating wind technology, the lessons learned through important demonstration projects will be vital to shaping the market structure for future large-scale floating projects.

Having successfully established its presence in the Taiwanese market following its work on the Formosa 1 project – Taiwan's first utility-scale offshore wind farm – K2M is supporting BlueFloat Energy following its entry into the country’s third round of offshore wind tenders scheduled for later in 2023, which will see Taiwan adding another 3 GW of offshore wind to its existing capacity.

Under the terms of the work, K2M initially supported screening for site selection, including work on pre-feasibility wind turbine layout, energy yield analysis and export cable routing. With an eye on 2023, K2M is currently in the process of developing concept designs, supporting procurement and preparing auction proposals, including localisation plans.

Commenting on the appointment Scott Hsu, Country Director, Taiwan & Philippines, K2 Management said: 
“It is undeniably an exciting time for the Taiwanese offshore wind market and for our team at K2 Management to work with BlueFloat Energy.

“With 15GW to be awarded in the round three auction for installation between 2026-2035 and the long-term target of 40-55GW of installed capacity by 2050, there is incredible potential in this market.”

"To ensure the country’s huge ambitions for offshore wind are met, the success of early, pioneering, floating projects such as Winds of September are key to paving the way for larger projects of greater capacity to be developed down the line.”

KeyFacts Renewable Energy Directory: K2 Management