Germany-based Deutsche Windtechnik is establishing a new regional unit in Taiwan after securing a contract to provide services to wpd AG on the Yunlin offshore wind project.
Under the terms of the contract, Deutsche Windtechnik will be in charge of a large part of wind turbine maintenance above and below water as well as technical management.
In the medium term, the newly formed Taiwan team will comprise about 25 professionals, most of whom will be Taiwanese, including service technicians, HSE managers, administration as well as the crew of the crew transfer vessel (CTV), which has been newly built in Taiwan. The managing directors of the Taiwanese unit will be Carl Rasmus Richardsen, Hendrik Böschen and Jens Landwehr. The company’s headquarters will be in Taiwan’s capital Taipei.
With a total capacity of 650MW to 700MW, the first construction phase of the Yunlin wind farm will be connected to the grid in 2020, Deutsche Windtechnik said.
The German wind farm developer wpd AG is responsible for project planning, construction and installation.
“We were able to win strong partners for the construction and operation of the Yunlin wind farm. We have been working together with Deutsche Windtechnik successfully at the German wind farm Butendiek and the Nordergründe wind farm for years, and together we have a real quality advantage in Taiwan,” Achim Berge Olsen , CEO of wpd AG, said.
At the Yunlin wind farm, Deutsche Windtechnik will be in charge of technical management, commercial management, and QHSE management. In addition, Deutsche Windtechnik’s contractual responsibilities will include management and provision of logistics, maintenance for the foundation structures including corrosion protection, and maintenance for substations and transition pieces.
The Taiwanese service technicians who will be deployed for the maintenance work will not only be trained in Taiwan but also at Deutsche Windtechnik’s Training Center in Europe. Discussions are currently being held with Taiwanese universities to secure qualified new recruits from the region for the long term. The aim is to jointly develop and carry out a study programme in the field of wind energy technology.
“The fact that we are setting up a branch office in Taiwan is also an example of how the expertise we have gained in Germany and Europe is enabling us to accompany larger customers to countries where they want to continue to grow internationally. The trust that our customers are demonstrating through this is definitely a competitive advantage,” Carl-Rasmus Richardsen said.