wpd group announces that a consortium of Japanese investors led by Sojitz Corporation will acquire a 27 percent stake in its Taiwanese offshore wind farm Yunlin. Further members of the consortium are The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc., Chudenko Corporation, Shikoku Electric Power Co., Inc. and JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation.
With the acquisition of the consortium around Sojitz as a co-investor we could achieve another important milestone for the project securing the equity financing of the so far largest offshore wind farm in Taiwan , says Helge Rau, Head of M&A at wpd AG. We are looking forward to the co-operation with this group of re-known investors and are well on track to finalise the overall financing of the project in due course continues Rau.
The debt financing of the project including well-known Taiwanese as well as international banks and financial institutions is close to its finalisation as well.
The start of offshore construction works is scheduled for March 2020. With a total capacity of 640 MW Yunlin is one of the first and the so far largest offshore wind farm that is being realised in Taiwan. It will be built eight kilometres off the coastline comprising 80 turbines of the eight megawatt class provided by Siemens-Gamesa.
On wpd AG and wpd Taiwan Energy Co. Ltd
Head-quartered in Bremen, Germany, wpd is a global developer and operator of on- and offshore wind farms with more than 2,200 employees active in 21 countries. Over the last 20 years the company has realised more than 2,200 wind generators with a total capacity of 4,450 MW. wpds global project pipeline has a volume exceeding 8,725 MW of onshore and 7,250 MW of offshore wind projects. So far, wpd offshore GmbH has achieved permits for 13 offshore wind farms, five (1,300 MW) of which have already been commissioned. In December 2017 wpds latest offshore wind farm Nordergründe with a capacity of 111 MW has been connected to the German grid. The Taiwanese market plays a key role in wpds growth strategy. In April 2018 the Taiwanese Ministry of Economics announced, that wpd was awarded with a total of capacity of 1 GW for the realisation of the offshore wind projects Yunlin and Guanyin. Total cost of both projects amount to approx. EUR 4 bn. www.wpd.de
On the consortium led by Sojitz Corp.
Sojitz Corporation is a major investment and trading firm in Japan conducting its operations in approximately 50 countries around the world through approximately 420 consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies located in Japan and overseas. Sojitz is a publicly listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc. has fulfilled a honourable mission of providing a high quality and stable supply of electricity and has thereby contributed to the development of its region having an area of 32,000 square kilometres and a population of roughly 7.4 million since its founding in 1951.
Chudenko Corporation was founded on September 29, 1944 and is headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan conducting a wide range of integrated facility engineering services not only in Japan but also in South-East Asia. Its engineering services include electric work, air-conditioning work, plumbing work and renewable energy works.
JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (established in 1888) is the Japanese largest oil refiner and distributor, operating 11 refineries all over Japan with the 50% market share of petroleum products in Japan, conducting the various businesses around the world such as import and sale of gas and coal, manufacture and sale of petrochemical and lubricant products, and domestic supply of electricity, gas and hydrogen.
Shikoku Electric Power Company, Incorporated in 1951, is one of the ten major electric utility companies in Japan, with 4,594 employees as of March 2018, and generation capacity of 5,778 MW, mainly focusing on the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity to customers throughout the Shikoku region.
Contact:
wpd AG
Christian Schnibbe
Head of Communication
Stephanitorsbollwerk 3
28217 Bremen, Germany
phone: +49 (421) 16866-10
mail: c.schnibbe@wpd.de
wpd Taiwan Energy Co. Ltd
YD Chang
Press Officer
Guangfu North Road
Taipei City 10560, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
phone: +886 (0) 2 2395 4886-811
mail: yd.chang@wpd.tw