Offshore Wind Power - Learning from Taiwan

 Ireland's offshore wind industry marked a new milestone in May with the awarding of the first round of offshore wind projects. The Government has set a target to deliver 7GW of electricity from offshore wind by 2030 and has been busy putting the various different aspects of a framework in place (regulation, planning, legal, administration) to ensure successful delivery. However, Ireland is already lagging behind our European neighbors in what is fast becoming a highly competitive international industry.

The Pacific island nation of Taiwan has been deploying offshore wind generation since 2017. With a land mass about half the size of Ireland and a population of over 23 million, the lack of space on land together with abundant wind resources means most major developments are offshore. Many EU states like Denmark are actively partnering with Taiwan for investment opportunities and technical expertise.

During a recent visit to Taipei, I spoke with Angelica Oung (@AngelicaOung), Energy Reporter specializing in offshore wind, the grid and nuclear power about the history of wind power in Taiwan, how the government there has engaged with the industry and the lessons learned so far.

Date of Recoding: May 22nd, 2023.

Perspectives with Neilo · Offshore Wind Power - Learning From Taiwan

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Additional information and references on the topics covered in this episode;

• unredacted.biz - Taiwan's Offshore Wind (Angelica's website)

• Wind power in Taiwan - wiki

• Wind power in Ireland - wiki 

• European countries pledge huge expansion of North sea wind farms - Jon Henley, The Guardian (April 24th, 2023)

• Minister Ryan welcomes hugely positive provisional results for first offshore wind auction - Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (May 11th, 2023)

• Taiwan's wind industry braves cross-strait risks in clean energy boom - Sarah Wu, Reuters (May 11th, 2023)

• Winds of change needed if state is to meet offshore energy targets - Daniel Murray, Sunday Business Post (May 21st, 2023)

• ESB signs landmark wind power deal with Danish firm Orsted - Emmet Ryan, Sunday Business Post (June 2nd, 2023)

• Feasibility of Replacing Nuclear and Fossil Fuel Energy with Offshore Wind Energy: A Case for Taiwan - Cheng-Dar Yue et al, Dept of Landscape Architecture, National Chiayi University, Taiwan (March 24th, 2022)

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The Beijing Straddle

 As the world recently marked the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, increased attention is being paid to China's role and influence on the situation.

China claim to be neutral and have talked a lot about peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity and have also put forward a peace plan which is officially entitled 'China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis'. But at the same time, China have also announced that they are deepening their relations with Russia.

In this episode, I chat with Alex Davey, Analyst and Editor at MERICS, the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Germany. We discuss the contradictions of China's position and their ability to broker peace, the current perception of China in Europe and how Ireland is engaging with China including Minister Eamon Ryan's high profile St. Patrick's Day visit to Beijing.

Perspectives with Neilo · The Beijing Straddle

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Additional references for further reading;

• Alex Davey, MERICS profile page
• Keeping up appearances? China's support for Russia one year into the war by Mikko Huotari and Roderick Kefferputz, MERICS
• China will emerge on top from war in Ukraine - Opinion - Richard Lawless - Wall Street Journal, Mar 1st, 2023
• Tanaiste attending Munich Security Conference today - Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland, February 17th, 2023
•  China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, February 24th, 2023
• China and Russia deepen ties as top diplomat tells Putin crisis is 'opportunity' - The Guardian, February 22nd, 2023

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