Ørsted awards cable installation contract to Taiwan's Woen-Jinn

Ørsted signed a construction contract with Taiwanese supplier partner Woen-Jinn for Greater Changhua projects’ array cable installation.

The contract is grounded in the solid collaboration between both parties over the past two years and includes the provision to allow WJ to invest in a new-build cable laying vessel.

The contract with a value of NT$ 1bn requires WJ to install a significant scope of array cables and will secure substantial work for the projects to be constructed in 2021. The special financial arrangement included allows WJ to invest in the state of the art cable lay vessel “WoenJinn#7”. 

Today’s contract is further evidence of Ørsted’s dedication to developing local suppliers for the Taiwan offshore wind industry. Matthias Bausenwein, Ørsted’s General Manager for Asia Pacific.

Ørsted has set up a dedicated team of 5 full-time and 5 part-time specialists to work and exchange knowledge with WJ in developing all required standards and competences for this project. During the past two years, Ørsted has visited WJ regularly and invested significant time and effort in cultivating WJ’s capabilities to become the only qualified offshore cable installation supplier in Taiwan. Since working with Ørsted, Woen-Jinn has hired an additional 20 staff and is planning further recruitment of staff to help deliver the array cable contract. Woen-Jinn has also indicated that, as a local cable installation company, WJ will take the responsibility to promote local talent as well as strengthen the development of local industry chain.

To attract and train more young talent for the offshore wind industry, WJ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology and is in the discussion on academic collaboration with National Taiwan Ocean University and National Cheng Kung University. WJ will provide full scholarships to students interested in marine engineering as well as internship opportunities from 2022 onwards.

Ørsted signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Woen-Jinn in November 2017, followed by several collaborative workshops on commercial, technical & QHSE topics, resulting in a signed Letter of Intent in May 2018.

Established in 1985, Kaohsiung-based Woen-Jinn is the leader in offshore cable installation in Taiwan. It has a good track record in undertaking big offshore telecommunication and power cable installation projects in Taiwan. Woen-Jinn also completed the offshore cable installation for phase one of the Formosa 1 project, the first offshore wind project in Taiwan.