In the bustling halls of Energy Taiwan 2024, the French Pavilion buzzed with activity as industry players EDF Renewables, Akrocean, and Eviden underscored the importance of political stability, local partnerships, and project scale in shaping the future of offshore wind energy in the region.
EDF Renewables, a major player in the energy sector, views Taiwan as one of the most proactive markets for floating offshore wind in Asia. "Taiwan's clear policy visibility gives us direction for investment," an EDF representative stated. The company praised Taiwan's leadership in fixed-bottom wind farms across the Asia-Pacific region but noted increasing competition in the floating sector from Japan and South Korea.
While Taiwan leverages its experience with fixed-bottom installations, Japan is focusing on prototype projects, allowing for trial and error. South Korea, on the other hand, is capitalizing on its marine engineering and shipbuilding expertise to transition into large-scale offshore energy projects.
Akrocean, a French company specializing in floating LIDAR services for offshore wind resource assessment and metocean measurements, has partnered with local logistics company Maxline Offshore Services to provide crucial wind and ocean data collection services for offshore wind development. The platform also supports a wide range of additional sensors for comprehensive environmental monitoring. The company sees significant growth potential in the Asia-Pacific region, with ongoing projects in New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea.
However, Akrocean highlighted challenges in the sector, including the unpredictability of political decisions affecting offshore wind development and the increasing emphasis on local content requirements. "We try to team up with local partners and promote local content for every project we do," the representative added.
Eviden, a global IT services provider, delivers critical telecommunication infrastructure solutions for offshore wind farm construction and operation. Their offerings include 4G/5G networks, radar systems, and military-grade sonar detection—technologies essential for the efficient operation and maintenance of wind farms. Eviden highlighted the positive developments in Taiwan's offshore wind market, noting a strengthening supply chain and the growing presence of major industry players, further signaling the sector's potential for continued expansion.
Despite the optimism, Eviden pointed out areas for improvement, particularly regarding project sizes. "Taiwan is in a place right now where they can afford to have bigger projects, gigawatt sizes, which would further propel the sector forward, " the representative suggested, echoing concerns raised by some developers about project profitability.
As Taiwan continues to lead Asia's offshore wind race, the presence of these French companies at Energy Taiwan 2024 highlights the country's growing importance in the global renewable energy landscape. However, with Japan and South Korea ramping up their efforts, the competition in the floating offshore wind sector is set to intensify, promising an exciting future for renewable energy in the region.
