South Korean firm Doosan Heavy installs 8MW offshore wind turbine prototype

South Korean engineering firm Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has installed an 8MW offshore wind turbine at a test centre in the south-east of the country.

It installed the prototype at the Korea Wind Power Demonstration Centre in Baeksu in South Jeolla province, and plans to commission it by the end of January.

The company will then look to obtain international certification for the wind turbine and make final preparations to commercialise it by June.

The direct-drive turbine features 100-metre long blades, a hub height of 130 metres, tip height of 232.5 metres, and can produce up to 8MW in wind speeds of 11m/s. 

Doosan added that it also has a capacity factor of at least 30% in average wind speeds of 6.5m/s.

It is designed to withstand typhoons that occur off South Korea, Doosan Heavy power services business unit CEO Hongook Park said.

The firm claimed that its direct-drive generator gives it higher structural stability and energy efficiency due to its simplified power transmission system and lower maintenance costs.

It developed the new 8MW turbine through a collaboration between industry and academia, led by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (Ketep), which launched in 2018.

the company aims to work with local wind power companies to increase the local manufacturing footprint of the turbine, Park added.

The engineering firm has previously offered 3MW and 5.5MW offshore wind turbines, so the 8MW marks a noticeable leap in power rating. However, other offshore wind turbine manufacturers have announced plans for 10MW-plus turbines in recent years, with Chinese firm MingYang offering a 16MW model, the most powerful turbine on the market.

South Korea aims to have 12GW of offshore wind capacity installed by 2030, by which point it aims to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable sources.

International developers such as Aker Offshore Wind and Ocean Winds, Equinor, TotalEnergies and Green Investment Group, and Ørsted, have all announced plans for offshore wind development off South Korea.