ABP and TIPC sign MoU for international collaboration on floating offshore wind

Henrik L. Pedersen, CEO of ABP, said: “This agreement with TIPC represents an exciting new stage in our journey towards net zero, for which international collaboration is key. Floating offshore wind presents huge opportunities to the UK, from becoming a global leader in green energy generation to creating significant jobs, prosperity and energy security. We look forward to working with TIPC to exchange ideas and accelerate the advancement of this technology.”

The MoU was signed by TIPC Vice President of Business, Shu-hui Cheng, and ABP Head of Offshore Wind, Andy Reay, and witnessed by TIPC Chairman, Hsien-yi Lee, and British Office Taipei Representative, John Dennis.

Cheng said: “The third phase of offshore wind power development is about to unfold in Taiwan. With larger scale wind turbines, localisation policies, etc. there will be more demand for land and space in ports of Taiwan, and the demonstration plan of floating wind will also bring up more requirements and challenges. Through the signing of the MoU with ABP and information sharing between the two parties, I believe that TIPC will be fully prepared on port planning and construction in coordination with offshore wind power policies.

Many of ABP’s ports are in close proximity to major British offshore wind farms, and ABP offers tailored services at its various ports to meet wind farm needs.

For example, the Port of Hull hosts the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine blade factory; the Port of Grimsby hosts Europe’s largest offshore wind turbine operations and maintenance centre; and the Ports of Lowestoft and Barrow also host significant O&M hubs. ABP has bold plans for future growth of its offshore wind related activities, including a transformational project to develop a major floating offshore wind hub port at Port Talbot. To further foster exchange and co-operation, TIPC Chairman took a delegation to the UK in July to visit ABP CEO and share experiences, as well as to invite ABP to visit Taiwan.

Attaining zero-carbon emissions is essential to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and ameliorating the impact of human activities on the environment. Offshore wind farms, which generate clean, sustainable, and renewable power, are an important part of any energy transformation strategy targeting reduced carbon emissions and improved air quality. Lee stressed that ports have a crucial role to play in the current and future development of offshore wind power. TIPC is particularly interested in learning how to best develop the port infrastructures necessary to support the future development and installation of floating offshore wind in Taiwan. This, he remarked, was a key incentive for TIPC to seek this new MoU with ABP.

Enabling the clean energy transition is also a key focus for ABP, as it launched its ‘Ready for Tomorrow’ sustainability strategy in February 2023, which sets out the port operator’s plans to achieve net zero from its own operations by 2040. The strategy is backed by a £2 billion investment in decarbonising ABP’s own operations and enabling large scale green energy infrastructure projects such as floating offshore wind in Port Talbot. ABP is planning to invest around £500 million to upgrade the Port Talbot site to support the wind farms and provide investors, developers and manufacturers the confidence to run large, long-term projects that will generate thousands of high-quality jobs.

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