Siemens Gamesa has broken ground on an expansion of its offshore nacelle facility in Taichung, Taiwan.
The expansion of the Siemens Gamesa offshore nacelle plant in Taichung will more than triple the plot area up to 90,000 square meters and more than triple the number of people working locally.
Among new elements, the expansion will broaden the production scope, creating two new production halls and a new warehouse on the extended plot.
Marc Becker, CEO of Siemens Gamesa’s offshore business, said in a statement: “We are thrilled to triple our activities in Taichung and to be leading the Taiwanese offshore revolution. Having been present locally since our first offshore installation in 2016, followed by the opening of our Taipei office in 2017, we greatly appreciate the clear pipeline of projects and visibility of market plans which are available.
“This allows us as the world’s leading manufacturer of offshore wind turbines to make solid, long-term investments. Taiwan and Taichung Harbor especially have proven their mettle to meet our desire to make this location the centerpiece of our Asia-Pacific offshore manufacturing activities.”
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In a continuous production flow, the new factory setup will have dedicated production lines for hub assembly, nacelle backend assembly, and final nacelle assembly including generator-related work.
Assembly of SG 14-222 DD offshore turbine nacelles is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2024.
With a substantial annual production capacity, the factory is intended to deliver locally made nacelles for the 1,044 MW Hai Long offshore wind power projects, future projects from Taiwan’s Round 3 offshore wind power auctions, and other projects in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Since our Taichung offshore nacelle plant opened in Taiwan in 2021, Siemens Gamesa has proudly provided the first locally assembled nacelles. They stand tall in the Taiwan Strait and deliver clean power to the grid. With the factory expansion, we are looking forward to leveraging this local footprint together with the Taiwanese supply chain, building a regional offshore wind manufacturing powerhouse based in Taiwan,” said Niels Steenberg, general manager of Siemens Gamesa Offshore for Asia-Pacific.
Beginning in October 2022, Siemens Gamesa will send its first batch of Taiwanese employees for training in Europe.
Construction work on the Taichung expansion started in September 2022, after construction of the first phase of the plant began in April 2020, with Taiwan’s first locally assembled offshore wind turbine nacelle being delivered in August 2021.
