PowerPod

In this episode of PowerPod Presents: Offshore Wind Leaders, Ivar Slengesol speaks with Wergeland Group CEO Margun Bjørnestad about the company’s growth in offshore wind and what the industry needs to reach commercial scale. Drawing on projects including Hywind Tampen, Hywind Scotland and Kincardine, Bjørnestad emphasizes that offshore wind must move from one-off projects toward standardization, serial production and industrialized assembly to reduce costs. Norway’s offshore experience and infrastructure provide a strong foundation, but the industry must avoid importing unnecessary complexity and high costs from oil and gas.A central theme is the need for predictability and a credible project pipeline. Bjørnestad argues that Norway needs real projects, not more ambitions and studies, to retain expertise, develop its supply chain, and compete internationally. Looking toward 2035, success would mean floating wind operating commercially at scale, significantly lower costs, Norwegian suppliers winning international contracts, and a new generation choosing careers in the industry.

In this episode of PowerPod, host Dan Wiseman is joined by Jordan May to examine the latest UK Budget and its implications for renewable energy goals, with a particular focus on offshore wind.They break down the key energy-related measures, including changes to standing charges and levies, the plan to shift some policy costs from consumer bills towards general taxation, the insistence that renewables should only receive subsidy if they help lower bills, and the announcement of a new energy wealth fund. The discussion explores the uncertainty surrounding how Contracts for Difference will be funded until a new cost control framework arrives in 2027, and why existing projects are largely insulated while future allocation rounds (especially from AR9 onwards) face greater ambiguity.Dan and Jordan also unpack the wholesale CFD proposal for existing generators, media claims of a government “veto” on projects that fail to cut costs, the likely impact on investor confidence, the relative resilience of fixed-bottom projects compared with floating wind, and the potential longer-term interactions with EU rules on double subsidisation.

在本期PowerPod節目中，主持人James Payne和郭超共同探討了台灣最新的離岸風電招標以及「3.3階段」市場面臨的挑戰。 來賓分析了台灣大力發展離岸風電的原因：半導體和人工智慧（AI）產業推動的電力需求激增，加上對進口液化天然氣（LNG）的嚴重依賴以及長期奉行的「無核家園」政策，使得離岸風電一度成為台灣的戰略重點。隨後，討論從「3.1階段」和「3.2階段」的補貼和本地化要求模式轉向了「3階段」的模式，即不設本地化要求並尋求長期購電協議。在地化要求、高昂的成本以及簽訂長期企業購電協議（CPPA）的困難，導致專案進度顯著放緩；目前，僅有少數專案處於建設階段或已完成融資和交付。 James 和 Chao 也分析了「第三階段第三期」的招標結果：只有 Ørsted 和哥本哈根基礎設施基金 (CIP) 提交了投標書，且其投標能力遠低於最初設定的 3.6 吉瓦目標。他們還討論了在歐盟向世貿組織提出質疑後，台灣政府取消強制性本地化要求的舉措，以及透過「ESG評分系統」重新引入本地化激勵措施的做法。節目最後展望了「第三階段第四期」的時間表、漂浮式風電示範計畫草案，並探討了這些進展將如何影響台灣的能源安全以及未來開發商的參與意願。

In this episode of PowerPod, host Dan Wiseman is joined by James Payne and Chao Guo to examine Taiwan’s latest offshore wind auction results and the wider challenges facing the market in Phase 3.3.They explore why Taiwan has turned to offshore wind so strongly. Surging electricity demand from semiconductors and AI, combined with heavy reliance on imported LNG and a long standing anti-nuclear policy have made the resource a strategic priority. The conversation then turns to the shift from the heavily subsidised Phases 3.1 and 3.2 to the subsidy free Phase 3. Localisation requirements, elevated costs and difficulties securing long-term corporate PPAs have slowed progress sharply, leaving only a handful of projects under construction or at financial close.Dan, James and Chao break down the Phase 3.3 outcome itself: just two overlapping bids from Ørsted and CIP, well short of the original 3.6 GW target. They also discuss the government’s decision to remove mandatory localisation rules after an EU WTO challenge, only to reintroduce local content incentives through an ESG points system. The episode closes by looking ahead to the accelerated timetable for Phase 3.4, the draft floating wind demonstration programme, and what these developments mean for Taiwan’s energy security and future developer interest.

In this episode of PowerPod, host Dan Wiseman is joined by fellow TGS 4C analyst Jason Benchapongwimon to unpack the key takeaways from the latest Market Overview Report.They examine why offshore wind has yet to fully recover from 2025’s global economic headwinds and ongoing geopolitical pressures, with developers growing more selective on capital allocation and only offtake auctions showing consistent success. The conversation covers the collective downgrade to the 2040 capacity outlook being driven by technology, infrastructure and supply-chain readiness rather than a single market cut, and why governments’ ambitious targets are struggling to translate into bankable projects without stronger subsidy mechanisms and clearer investment signals.Dan and Jason also explore FID as a more reliable market health indicator than auction awards, the new foundation analysis showing no structural shortage in monopiles and jackets thanks to turbine scaling, and the competitive pressure between offshore wind, grid investment and other renewables.