Rotterdam, 18 September 2019 – Van Oord has been awarded the contract by Ørsted for the cable installation works at the Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms. The wind farms are located between 35 and 60 kilometres off the west coast of Changhua County, Taiwan. Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms will supply sustainable energy to approximately 1 million households per year.
Van Oord is responsible for the transportation, installation and burial of the 111 inter array cables, with a total length of approximately 135 kilometres, and the 3 export cables, with a total of approximately 145 kilometres. To carry out the work, Van Oord will deploy its dedicated cable-laying vessel Nexus, equipped with a cable carousel with a capacity of 5,000 tonnes. Van Oord’s own trencher Dig-It will bury the cables to the required depth. The installation work starts in 2021.
The 900 MW Greater Changhua 1 & 2a offshore wind farms will be the first cable project in Taiwan for Van Oord. Once operational in 2022, the windfarms will contribute significantly to the Taiwanese government’s target of 5.7 GW offshore wind by 2025.
As the Taiwanese offshore wind market begins to expand, Van Oord is committed to support the further development of the Taiwanese supply chain and marine workforce by sharing our experience and knowledge in these fields. Van Oord will work closely together with Taiwanese engineering service providers and support vessel owners to complete this cable installation project successfully.