Offshore turbine manufacturer MHI Vestas added to its tally in the emerging Taiwanese market with a preferred supplier deal for the 300MW Zhong Neng project.

The Japanese-Danish group will supply an unspecified turbine variant to the project, a joint venture between local player China Steel Corporation (CSC) and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).

The deal bolsters MHI Vestas’ presence in the market, where it now has 900MW of preferred supplier deals, according to figures on its website.

Zhong Neng is due online in 2024 after signing a power deal with utility Taipower last year. The project in late 2019 agreed a deal with a joint venture of European contractor DEME for foundation and turbine installation.

MHI Vestas said it plans to announce “further industrial partnerships” over the coming weeks and claimed it’s in “prime position to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive local supply chain”.

Localisation has emerged as a huge issue in Taiwan, which is gearing up for new tenders to spur a next wave of development beyond the 5.5GW already in train following the re-election of offshore wind-friendly President Tsai Ing-wen.

Maida Zahirovic, MHI Vestas business director, Taiwan, said: “MHI Vestas has been an active and dedicated partner in the development of the local supply chain for more than two years. In close collaboration with our customers and the government, we are putting the finishing touches on the sector’s most ambitious localisation plan.”