Siemens Gamesa to build regional nacelle assembly plant in Taiwan

The first project to be supported by the broader manufacturing plant will be the 300-MW Hai Long 2 project.

The plan is subject to certain conditions including Hai Long 2’s industrial relevance proposal being approved by the Taiwanese authorities, and a final investment decision by the project partners.

Siemens Gamesa was named as preferred supplier for the offshore wind turbines for the project in November 2019.

The facility is currently under construction and will start production in 2021 to deliver nacelles to Orsted’s Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind project.

Once the nacelle assembly work is completed in 2022, expansion of the Taichung factory will get underway. It will see a doubling of the area of the facility to in excess of 60,000 m², and a doubling of the number of Siemens Gamesa employees working in the factory.

Two new production halls and a new warehouse will be constructed, encompassing local hub, and backend production in Taiwan for Siemens Gamesa’s latest offshore wind turbine technology. This will provide an opportunity for a range of local suppliers to feed components directly to the factory.

Siemens Gamesa offshore wind business unit chief executive Andreas Nauen said, “Expanding nacelle manufacturing in Taiwan demonstrates our strong belief in the Taiwanese market and the Asia Pacific region as a whole.”

In 2019, Siemens Gamesa and Yeong Guan Group (YGG) sealed an agreement for localized hub and base frame castings for Hai Long 2. YGG will build a new global casting production factory for offshore wind in Taichung, neighbouring Siemens Gamesa’s plot.

Additionally, Siemens Gamesa has now signed four conditional contracts for the localization of six different type of nacelle components for Hai Long 2. All of these components will be delivered to Siemens Gamesa’s Taichung factory as part of the localized nacelle production process.

Similar to the deal made with YGG, three of those contracts include the setup of new local production facilities. KK Wind Solutions will invest in a new production plant in Taiwan, as well as in the recruitment and the training of a local workforce to enable knowledge transfer. The factory will manufacture uninterruptible power supplies and power conversion systems. SINBON will extend its existing footprint with a new production line in Taiwan for cable manufacturing.

Atech, together with an existing global supplier, will provide nacelle canopies and spinners. A new production line will be set-up in Taiwan accordingly. This collaboration will combine strong offshore wind expertise with local market knowledge and production capabilities. Würth will leverage its existing footprint in Taiwan and strong local supplier network to locally procure fasteners.