ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2004
GE Energy has been selected as the turbine supplier for the first large-scale wind power project in Taiwan.
The 39-megawatt project is part of a 10-year plan by Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) to promote wind energy, in accordance with the government's goal to increase the use of renewable energy and reduce CO2 emissions.
GE will provide 26 of its 1.5-megawatt wind turbines through Chung-Hsin Electric & Machinery Manufacturing Corporation of Taiwan, the turnkey contractor for the project. The machines will be installed at three locations: three turbines at the Third Nuclear Power Station on the southern end of the island, three turbines at the Tah-Tarn Power Station and the remaining 20 turbines along the Tao-Yuan Kuan-Yin coastline. The latter two sites are on the northwestern coast, about 100 kilometers south of the capital city of Taipei.
Once completed, the project is expected to generate about 100,000 megawatt hours annually for an estimated 21,000 households. Electricity from the turbines will be delivered through underground transmission lines to existing substations in nearby power plants before it is sent to Taiwan's power grid.
Overall, Taipower plans to erect 200 wind turbines along the island's western corridor over the next 10 years.
Groundbreaking for this first installment of 26 turbines is scheduled to begin in 2004, with project completion expected by the spring of 2005.
"This project is the latest example of wind power's increasing importance in Asia," said Steve Zwolinski, president of GE Energy's wind business. "While Europe continues to lead the world in wind-power capacity, both the United States and Asia are demonstrating a strong, growing interest in wind power as a source of clean, reliable energy."
The Taipower installation marks the fourth Asian project announced by GE Energy in recent months. The company is also supplying 1.5-megawatt wind turbines for the Rokkasho-mura and Hibikinada wind projects, both in Japan; and the Huitengxile Wind Power Plant of Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China.
GE's 1.5-megawatt machines are among the most widely sold and tested wind turbines in their size category, with more than 2,200 units installed worldwide.
With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, China and the United States, GE Energy is one of the world's leading wind power companies. The company's current product portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1,500 to 3,600 kilowatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company's knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 6,600 wind turbines with a total capacity exceeding 4,700 megawatts.
About GE Energy
GE Energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2003 revenues of nearly $18.5 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.