We sat down with our Head of Operations in Taiwan, Anthony Van Dyck, to find out more his career in the Taiwanese wind energy market and what he gets up to in his time outside of Boston Energy!
Please tell us a bit about yourself! What do you like to get up to in your spare time outside of work?
I’m a long-term Canadian ex-pat living in Taipei. Like most people, my biggest priorities are family and work. I’m a single dad with two teenage daughters, so you can imagine that life is never dull. My partner is a yoga teacher and a fitness buff, so I try to stay in shape just to keep up with her! When I’m not busy with family or work, I still manage to stay quite active. I’m a founding director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan and have been helping out there on a volunteer basis for almost 20 years. And finally, once a month I run a dinner party group which allows me to explore Taipei’s many fine restaurants. All in all, life is good!
Can you tell us a bit about your career before Boston Energy? What made you choose to work in wind?
I started my major projects career in rail, on Taiwan’s Airport MRT project, working for the main contractor on the project, a major Japanese multinational corporation, but my first foray into renewable energy was only four years ago, first with a PM role in offshore wind, and then a business development role in onshore wind, before joining the Boston Energy family earlier this year. Renewable energy, particularly wind, is something that I am both passionate about and proud to be involved in. As a dad, I’m very conscious of the fact that the world I’m leaving my daughters isn’t as pristine as the world I was born into, so I am doing my best to make things a little bit better for them, and the generations that come after them.
How has the wind industry evolved during your career?
The wind industry in Asia has really grown in leaps and bounds, and Taiwan has been at the forefront, in 2019 launching Asia’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, Formosa 1, with 128MW of installed capacity. Taiwan’s energy crunch, fuelled by the global demand for semi-conductor chips, means that renewable energy will continue to play a relevant and vital role for years to come.
What’s going on in the Taiwanese wind energy market now and what role does Boston Energy play in this?
Although Boston Energy came into the Taiwan market less than two years ago, we are now firmly ensconced here, with a regional office in Taipei able to expand our services beyond Taiwan into other APAC countries, where the need for the kind of experience Boston Energy offers is ever growing.
Regarding regional trends in the business, I see the whole idea of localisation, which I know many offshore wind companies find challenging, to be a huge benefit for Boston Energy. Upskilling local technicians and developing their careers is for me an especially rewarding aspect of the business. Of course, I understand why the government cares about localisation, but I also see it as a positive area of growth for Boston Energy, and a chance for us to become an increasingly global presence.
So there you have it! As the Taiwanese wind energy market continues to grow, Boston Energy are dedicated to providing high quality support to our clients in this corner of the world. Stay up to date with what Boston Energy are doing in Taiwan by followings us on Facebook & Linkedin!
