The British Office Taipei and the British Chamber of Commerce in Taipei are to set up a UK Pavilion at the Energy Taiwan exhibition in Taipei next week to showcase the UK’s expertise in floating offshore wind energy.
The UK is to join in the event for the third consecutive year, this time with 14 British offshore wind energy companies, the largest British participation at Energy Taiwan, the office said in a news release yesterday.
The British participation at the event “clearly demonstrates the UK’s commitment to support Taiwan’s 2050 net zero goals with strong renewable energy development ambitions,” it said.
More than 40 British offshore wind companies set up offices in Taiwan, many of which are serving as the regional Asia-Pacific branches, it said.
The UK Export Finance, the British government’s export credit agency, has already provided more than ￡500 million (US$609.4 million) in export credit guarantees to three Taiwanese offshore wind projects since 2019, it said.
British Office Taipei Director of Trade and Investment Stephanie Ashmore, who is to preside over the opening of the pavilion, said that “Taiwan holds a special place in the global offshore wind landscape.”
The UK and Taiwan have been cooperating on offshore wind energy for nearly two decades, Ashmore said, adding that policy guidance, industrial development, and research and development partnerships have been “mutually beneficial.”
The 14 UK companies “will bring their expertise, skills and services to further strengthen our longstanding partnership in renewable energy to drive the energy transition,” she added.
The UK is the second-largest offshore wind market globally and the bellwether of fixed-bottom and floating turbine deployment in Europe, the office said.
The British energy security strategy, which was published in April last year, set the goal to achieve up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, up from the current 13.9GW, it said.
Energy Taiwan, jointly organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council and international trade group SEMI, is to take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 from Wednesday next week to Friday.
Besides the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Sweden are to set up pavilions at the exhibition while domestic companies in fields such as solar photovoltaic and wind energy, and smart storage are also to participate and seek business opportunities.
The scale of this year’s event has grown by 25 percent compared with last year, which reflects “the growing recognition of the importance of a greener future,” the organizers said.
Source: Taipei Times
