EEW wins Formosa foundations order

TAIWAN: Foundations specialist EEW has been awarded the monopile supply contract for the 120MW Formosa One phase two project.

Formosa 1's monopiles will be produced at EEW's Rostock plant in Germany

The production of foundations will begin at the German firm's Rostock facility in October.

The second phase of Formosa 1, being developed by Macquarie, Ørsted and Swancor Renewables, is due online in the second half of 2019.

It reached financial close in early June and will follow the two-turbine first phase, which was completed in October 2016.

EEW was awarded the contract by Jan de Nul, the project's foundation EPC contractor.

Formosa One phase two will comprise 20 Siemens Gamesa SWT-6.0-154 turbines.

Unlike many of its European counterparts, EEW currently does not have a plan to localise manufacturing in Taiwan or south-east Asia, either through industry partnerships or new facilities.

The firm said "there is no decision yet" on whether the firm would set up a facility in Taiwan.

In April, EEW did announce a deal to open a new facility in Massachusetts, ahead of the anticipated rapid offshore wind expansion in the US.