Taiwan doubled its previous stated plans for the next stage of its offshore wind build-out with a goal to add 10GW of extra capacity from 2026 to 2035.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen and its Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Tuesday unveiled a new target for development in the Taiwan strait. The island had only previously laid down ambitions for 5GW after 2025 without specifying a timeframe.

The President made the announcement during her speech at the inauguration ceremony for the islands first offshore wind project, Formosa 1. She urged the MOEA to quickly establish a plan for the 10GW capacity for the next 10 years.

Later, minister of economic affairs Shen Jong-Chin confirmed the figure, adding that the ministry is planning to allocate 1GW per year for the 10GW goal.

The detailed plan of allocation measures will be released in the first quarter next year, the minister said.

The bidding prices of the 10GW projects are likely to lower than the average retail power rate, MOEA said in a statement.

Already getting a head start among Asian countries for offshore wind development, Taiwan should continue moving forward and plan in advance, the statement added.

Last year Taiwan held two rounds of offshore wind allocation to award seven companies a total 5.5GW capacity for its initial stage of large-scale development between 2019-2025. However, the island had yet to make clear the post-2025 roadmap and the rules for its third-round offshore project allocation.

In September, the MOEA announced it would postpone the release of a first draft of the allocation plan from the end of August to early next year due to various disagreements among project developers and the supply chain over allocation rules and localisation requirements, Recharge previously reported.

Shen today revealed that the energy regulator is considering a two-step selection process, in which the ministry would first pick eligible developers based on their localisation commitments, followed by price-competitive auctions.

Offshore wind has become a live issue in the run-up to Taiwan's next presidential election in January, with Tsai more ambitious than her rival over wind at sea.

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Taiwan doubles next-stage offshore wind ambition to 10G - Recharge