Named after the strong winds blowing in the Hsinchu region every September, BlueFloat Energy’s first project in Taiwan is called Winds of September. The wind farm, with a planned capacity of over 1 GW, is to be located 25 km off the coast of Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City in an area of around 125 km2 at around 70-80m water depth.
Under the leadership of BlueFloat Energy’s CEO, Carlos Martin, incoming Country Manager Michael Pinkerton, and the professional support of team members, BlueFloat Energy will bring its offshore wind expertise and global project development experience to the offshore wind farm deployment in deep-water areas.
“We try to think of bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind as parallel industries,” says Martin. “We believe that floating wind farms have a number of important differences compared to bottom-fixed projects and that a successful floating wind project development strategy requires a very different approach and mindset.”
Floating offshore wind technology will be paramount to Taiwan’s energy transition and BlueFloat Energy’s first floating offshore wind project, Winds of September, is expected to play a significant role in the development of this nascent industry in the country.
“This year has seen BlueFloat Energy have much success globally and I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of such a booming organization” states Pinkerton. “BlueFloat Energy is a company with great potential and excellent floating offshore wind farm experience. I believe that we can work with Taiwan and push toward its net-zero target and accelerate the global energy transition process. We will work with local partners, suppliers and stakeholders to deliver our project pipeline that will not only provide vast quantities of locally sourced, clean and affordable electricity but will also create a greater number of jobs in the industry, forming many collaboration opportunities.”
Pinkerton, who is originally from Australia, has participated in and managed the development of renewable energy projects at Macquarie Group and Swancor Renewable Energy (SRE). He has experience in the management, construction and operation of several large-scale projects in Southeast Asia and has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
