Van Oord and SGRE chosen for Taiwanese site

TAIWAN: Van Oord is in line to design, build and install 80 foundations for a project owned by wpd that was awarded capacity in the country's recent offshore tender.

by Craig Richard 30 May 2018

The Yunlin project will be situated eight kilometres from the prefecture of the same name (pic credit: Van Oord)

The offshore services specialist has been named the preferred contractor for the Yunlin project, it has announced.

Meanwhile, Siemens Gamesa has received a letter of intent (LoI) to supply 80 of its SG 8.0-167 DD turbines for the project.

The provisional agreement remains valid until July 2019 and would include a 15-year service contract, the manufacturer added.

Yunlin will be situated about eight kilometres off the coast of the prefecture that gives the wind farm its name.

Wpd must connect 360MW to the grid by 2020, and the remainder between 2021 and 2025, according to the by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in April. The German developer was awarded 708MW for the project but states its .

Van Oord described being named as the preferred contractor for the site as a "firm first step" in the Asian offshore wind market. The company added that the project has a contract value of approximately €500 million.

Yunlin will be its first offshore wind project outside Europe. The company has previously carried out and projects off the Taiwanese coast, however.

"In Asia, and especially in Taiwan, large investments are being made in offshore wind," said CEO Pieter van Oord.

"The Yunlin project is a great opportunity for Van Oord to show our expertise outside Europe."

For Siemens Gamesa, being named preferred supplier for Yunlin adds to its footprint in Taiwan.

It in December, and in February the manufacturer signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Taiwanese technology group Yeong Guan Enery on the country’s west-central coast.

Niels Steenberg, Siemens Gamesa’s general manager for offshore in  the Asia-Pacific region, said Yunlin would "play a crucial role in the development of the offshore wind industry in Taiwan.

He added: "Today, we are closely working with wpd to meet the targeted timeline, and ensure required infrastructure will be in place for successful implementation." 

Financial close on the Yunlin project is expected at the end of 2018. The first foundations will be available for installation at the start of 2020 with construction beginning later that year.