Google strikes first offshore wind deal in Asia-Pacific
Web giant says offtake from CIP's Taiwan project will add to solar and geothermal sources
Google revealed its first offshore wind corporate power purchase agreement in Asia-Pacific with a deal to take power from Taiwan’s Fengmiao 1 project.
The web giant said the deal with the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) project will add to offtake agreements for solar and geothermal on the island to provide power for its Taiwanese data centre and other operations.
CIP previously said Fengmiao 1, which will use 15MW Vestas turbines, had signed deals with six corporate offtakers without revealing all their identities.
Google said the “offshore wind will complement the solar and geothermal projects in our portfolio, creating a blend of clean energy technologies working in concert to meet our energy demands around the clock”.
Other Round 3 projects have so far stalled due to difficulties in securing deals on terms that allow them to proceed.
Strict local content requirements in Taiwan and an underdeveloped supply chain had by late last year raised sector costs to among the highest in the world, with developers saying they need some TWD6/kWh – equivalent to $190/MWh – to progress projects.
Taiwan decided to drop its local content requirements under pressure from industry players and the EU, which had lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the issue.
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