Van Oord has secured contracts for two major offshore wind projects: Baltic Power in the Baltic Sea and Greater Changhua 2b and 4 in Taiwan, with a combined value exceeding €500 million. The developments could provide clean energy to millions, Van Oord.
The Baltic Power project, a joint venture between ORLEN (Poland) and Northland Power (Canada), will be Poland’s inaugural offshore wind farm. Located in the Polish exclusive economic zone of the Baltic Sea, 23 kilometers from the shore, the project features 76 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1.14 GW. It is poised to supply renewable energy to over 1.5 million households in Poland. Van Oord’s role encompasses the transportation and installation of 78 foundations, including 76 wind turbine generator (WTG) foundations and two for offshore substations. The Svanen, a heavy-lift installation vessel, will be deployed for installing the monopile foundations, while a third-party DP (dynamic positioning) installation vessel will install the transition pieces. Scheduled to commence in 2024, this project is expected to complete by summer 2025.
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The Baltic Sea’s shallow waters, strong winds, and favorable conditions make it an ideal location for offshore wind energy, providing an efficient route for the Baltic states’ energy transition. The Svanen, designed to cope with the Baltic Sea’s challenging conditions, has already demonstrated its capabilities in numerous projects in the region.
Similarly, Taiwan’s geographical location and weather conditions make it an apt choice for offshore wind energy development. Van Oord has recently signed on to the Greater Changhua 2b and 4 projects, constructed by Ørsted, located 50 kilometers off Taiwan’s west coast. These wind farms, with a total capacity of 920 MW, will deliver renewable energy to about 1 million Taiwanese households annually. Van Oord will oversee the transport and installation of three export cables spanning approximately 175 kilometers, utilizing its cable-laying vessel Nexus and trencher Dig-It for cable burial. Additionally, the LNG-powered hopper dredger Vox Apolonia will be deployed for pre-excavating cable joint pits. The works are set to start in 2024 and conclude in 2025.
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Van Oord’s involvement in Taiwanese offshore wind farms is not new. The company has already completed cable installation works at Greater Changhua 1 and 2a.
Arnoud Kuis, managing director offshore energy at Van Oord, said “At Van Oord we are committed to the large-scale rollout of offshore wind. We are therefore proud that two clients trust Van Oord to support their development projects in the offshore wind industry.”
Van Oord is a global marine contractor, specializing in dredging and marine construction, offshore wind, and offshore infrastructure. It is involved in offshore pipelaying for the Gas-to-Energy project in Guyana.
