As corporations accelerate the development of large offshore wind turbines, the supply chain is expected to be completed soon. Korea currently has a complete supply chain in the small and midsize offshore wind sector, but it still lacked turbines for large units. With the government set to increase offshore wind supply, attention is on whether it can also serve as an export industry.
According to the government on the 9th, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has drawn up a plan to develop 20-megawatt (MW) class ultra-large offshore wind turbines domestically under its goal to build 25 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind farms by 2035. In this regard, the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources is carrying out a national project on the basic design of 20 MW class offshore wind turbines. Doosan Enerbility and UNISON are participating.
Korean corporations already have competitiveness in substructures, towers, and subsea cables, excluding large offshore wind turbines. SK oceanplant, GS Entec, and Hyundai Steel Industries manufacture and install substructures. LS Cable & System and Taihan Cable & Solution possess subsea cable technology, and CS Wind, the world's No. 1 wind tower manufacturer, supplies towers to major turbine companies.
According to the wind power industry, Doosan Enerbility and UNISON have completed development of 10-megawatt (MW) class offshore wind turbines, and Hyosung Heavy Industries, which left the market, is reviewing reentry.
Doosan Enerbility has completed development of 8 MW and 10 MW class offshore wind turbines. Doosan Enerbility plans to supply 13 8 MW class offshore wind turbines to the Yawol Offshore Wind Farm, which is scheduled for completion in Mar. 2029. Doosan Enerbility is also pursuing technological cooperation with Siemens Gamesa on 15 MW class offshore wind turbines.
Entering the wind turbine market in 2005 when it was Doosan Heavy Industries, Doosan Enerbility has experience manufacturing and installing 3-megawatt (MW) and 5.5 MW class offshore wind turbines. It installed ten 3 MW class turbines at the Tamna Offshore Wind Farm in Jeju, eighteen 5.5 MW class turbines at the Hallim Offshore Wind Farm in Jeju, and twenty 3 MW class units at the Southwest Sea demonstration complex. It is now shifting its flagship products to large wind turbines.
UNISON has also finished designing a 10 MW class offshore wind turbine and is set for demonstration. Once performance tests are completed at the wind power demonstration complex off the coast of Yeonggwang, South Jeolla, it can move to commercialization.
Hyosung Heavy Industries, which exited the offshore wind market in the early 2020s, is said to be renewing its interest in offshore wind turbines. According to the industry, Hyosung Heavy Industries is seeking to obtain a turbine production license from Shanghai Electric of China.
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), total installed offshore wind capacity worldwide reached 83 gigawatts (GW) by 2024, with China accounting for about half at 41.6 GW. In particular, China has ranked No. 1 in new offshore wind installations for seven consecutive years, ahead of the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Germany, and France.
Chinese corporations have grown rapidly on the back of their massive domestic market and are increasing their share in the offshore wind supply chain. In addition to Denmark's Vestas and Germany's Siemens Gamesa, traditional turbine powerhouses, Goldwind, CSSC, and Sany, which rank among the top in offshore wind turbines, are Chinese corporations.
An official at the climate ministry said, "Offshore wind is still in the early stage of industry growth," adding, "If we secure large turbine technology, Korea can complete the supply chain." The official added, "Since Taiwan and Japan, which may be reluctant to introduce Chinese products, are cited as major candidate markets, this could become a new export industry."