Global offshore wind leader Ørsted today (23) announced the launch of the Offshore Wind Industrial Development Fund, making a concrete step to support Taiwan suppliers to ramp up their technological capabilities and nurture local talents.
The program, fully funded by Ørsted with a total amount of NTD 60 million, will be managed and executed by the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) over the next 18 months. The aim is to ensure resources are in place for the local supply chain to strengthen professional techniques and competence, mend the skills gap and talent shortage, and drive a healthy development of offshore wind industry in Taiwan.
Christy Wang, General Manager of Ørsted in Taiwan, says: “Ørsted is dedicated to promoting the development of offshore wind value chain in Taiwan. On the one hand, we are providing full support to cultivate Tier 1 suppliers of the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a Offshore Wind Farms, helping new local suppliers speed up their learning curve and overcome challenges in meeting new industrial standards of the offshore wind sector.”
“On the other hand, we are making additional efforts to support local companies interested in becoming sub-tier suppliers of the offshore wind supply chain. The industrial development fund ensures resources are provided to potential sub-suppliers to ramp up their technologies and standards as well as train local staff in these companies to successfully enter offshore wind and create a favorable environment for the overall industrial development.”
The fund carries two ambitious objectives:
- Firstly, to nurture local offshore wind professionals through funding local companies to send their employees for high-level welding and Global Wind Organization safety trainings.
- Secondly, to boost localization of offshore wind technologies through offering each successful applicant company with a maximum of NTD 5 million to help them cross the technological threshold and become suppliers for offshore wind construction or for O&M products and services, thus furthering local offshore wind capabilities.
MIRDC is scheduled to hold an information session on 7th of August in Changhua County’s Forte Hotel with another two to take place in Taipei and Kaohsiung to give more details on the application procedures and review process.
Interested local companies may apply to the fund starting from 7th of August. Applications for talent trainings will be reviewed upon request until 7th of August 2021, subject to fund availability, while applications for technology localization will be reviewed altogether after the submission deadline on 30th September this year.
The review panel is comprised of experts from Ørsted, offshore wind industry and the academics. MIRDC will first review all applications then the review panel will convene. Members of the review panel may request an onsite visit to the applicant companies as deemed necessary.
For more information, please check the MRIDC website or email Ms. Tsai (np7449@mail.mirdc.org.tw).
For further information, please contact:
Ørsted Asia-Pacific Media Relations
Rachel Chan
racch@orsted.com
+886 933 529 367