German project developer wpd has designated Dutch firm Van Oord as preferred contractor for a 640MW Yunlin offshore wind project in Taiwan.

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Image: Location of the Yunlin offshore wind project in Taiwan. Photo: courtesy of Van Oord.

The contract value of the Yunlin project is about €500m, with Van Oord to handle design, manufacturing and installation of the eighty foundations of the offshore wind farm.

According to the Dutch offshore contractor, preparations for the wind farm will begin immediately. The offshore wind farm is to be built eight kilometers off the coast of the Yunlin prefecture.

Financial close on the Yunlin offshore wind project is anticipated to be achieved by the end of this year. In early 2020, the first foundations of the wind farm are scheduled to be available for installation.

Van Oord revealed that the installation period of the Yunlin project will also take place in 2020 with monopiles, scour protection, transition pieces and turbines to be installed one after the other.

Van Oord CEO Pieter 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.”

The offshore project is part of Taiwan’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program which will enable it to be connected to the Taiwanese network with the backing of a long-term power contract of 20 years.

The Yunlin project is the first offshore wind project for Van Oord in Taiwan. It is also the Dutch company’s maiden wind contract outside Europe.

Last month, Van Oord won a tender in consortium with Investri Offshore and Green Giraffe for the 19MW Borssele Wind Farm Site V, to be built off the coast of Zeeland, the Netherlands.

Van Oord will handle the design and offshore works of the offshore wind project as part of a consortium named as Two Towers.