Van Oord Becomes Global Offshore Wind Player with Yunlin Contract

German offshore wind developer wpd has selected Van Oord as preferred contractor for the 640MW Yunlin offshore wind project in Taiwan.

Van Oord is responsible for the design, manufacturing and installation of the wind farm’s eighty monopile foundations. Preparations for the wind farm, which will be constructed eight kilometres off the coast of the Yunlin prefecture, starts immediately, the company said.

The Yunlin project has a contract value of approximately EUR 500 million, Van Oord said, adding that the company has now ”taken a firm first step on the Asian offshore wind market. ” This is also Van Oord’s first offshore wind project outside Europe.

The Yunlin project is expected to reach financial close at the end of 2018. At the start of 2020, the first foundations will be available for installation. The installation period will also take place in 2020. Monopiles, scour protection, transition pieces and turbines will be installed in succession, Van Oord said.

”In Asia, and especially in Taiwan, large investments are being made in offshore wind. The Yunlin project is a great opportunity for Van Oord to show our expertise outside Europe. We look forward to working with our local partners to enable the energy transition of Taiwan,” Pieter van Oord, CEO of Van Oord, said.

The Yunlin project is one of eleven offshore wind projects recently selected by the Taiwanese government under the feed-in tariff (FIT) programme.  In 2020, about 350MW must be connected to the grid, with the remaining part following in 2021, according to Van Oord.

The aim of the Taiwanese government is to install 5.5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2025.