TAOYUAN, , Jan. 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ministry of Economic Affairs has been making a strong push to connect offshore wind power with local industry. On January 23 two enterprises, Century Wind Power (CWP), a subsidiary of Century Iron & Steel Industrial Group, and the wpd Group, held an MOU signing ceremony for localization of the offshore wind power industry in Taoyuan at Taoyuan City Hall. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mayor Wen-tsan Cheng, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ming-hsin Kung, the German Institute Taipei, and the European Chamber of Commerce. The MOU commits the signatories to supporting the development of offshore wind power and cooperation on localization of the wind power industry. During the ceremony, Chairman Wen-xiang Lai of Century Iron & Steel was also presented with two certificates by Mr. Michael Kroger in his role as Certifier for TUV Rheinland.
Century Iron & Steel is one of only a few TUV Rheinland customers to have received EN 1090 and EN ISO 3834 certification. It is also the second company in Taiwan to be qualified for underwater steel structures in the offshore wind power industry.
The ISO 3834 standard can be considered the ISO 9000 for welding. The standard has been adopted by the petrochemical, bridge and railway transportation, wind power, and green energy industries for welding quality management. The ISO 3834 metal welding standard has long been used internationally, and more than a hundred companies in Mainland China have received this certification. Taiwanese companies are, however, still learning about this standard, and the number of certified companies remains in the single digits. The TUV Rheinland Group has issued nearly a thousand ISO 3834 certifications around the world, and is the only certification body in Taiwan with actual ISO 3834 certification experience.
ISO 3834 is the basis for many product standards, so it is often complemented by other product standards, such as: EN 1090 for steel and aluminum structures, EN 15085 for railway vehicles, EN 12952 for pipes and boilers, etc. Many wind power projects require the contractor to have both ISO 3834 and EN 1090 certification as proof of their welding management quality. Offshore wind farms involve large investments, and are complex to construct. The installation of wind turbines involves strict requirements on durability and resistance to cracks, corrosion, and brittleness. Technical standards for wind power originated in Europe, so EN 1090 is used as the manufacturing guideline for steel structures, and welding factories must show that they can satisfy ISO 3834 requirements.
By obtaining EN 1090 and EN ISO 3834 certification from TUV Rheinland, Century Iron & Steel has proven that it has made great strides in welding quality and marine wind power manufacturing techniques, as well as in the standard of its welding and non-destructive testing (NDT) personnel. Century Iron & Steel mobilized the entire company and set up a dedicated working group in order to meet the high standards set by Europe for marine wind power steel structures. The certification process started on June 7, 2017, and the final audit was completed 5 months later.
Responding to the requirement for contractors to hold ISO 3834 and related certification for many wind power projects, TUV Rheinland will host an offshore wind power underwater structure forum at its Taipei training room on February 8. The forum will cover the basis, applications, and related requirements of underwater structure certification. Interested parties should register online as soon as possible to avoid missing out on key business opportunities:http://bit.ly/2p25099.
