POSCO Pohang Steelworks Receives Certification for 'Thick Plate Production Plant for Renewable Energy'

High-Strength Materials Exceeding Standards... Capable of Meeting Economic Design Requirements
Establishing Institutional Foundations Applicable to Global Offshore Wind Projects

POSCO announced on the 17th that its Pohang Steelworks heavy plate mill received a renewable energy factory certification plaque from the Norwegian Classification Society (DNV).

The Norwegian Classification Society is the world's largest specialized technical institution in the energy sector. It technically evaluates and certifies safety from materials to design, focusing on energy, oil & gas, and shipbuilding & offshore industries. Certification from institutions like the Norwegian Classification Society is required to carry out global offshore wind power projects.

With this factory certification, the heavy plate products produced at the Pohang Steelworks meet the European standard specifications 'EN (European Norm)-S355' and 'EN-S420' while implementing a 'uniform yield point (Yield Point, YP),' making them applicable to the design of wind power structures globally, including Europe. Yield strength refers to the force a material can withstand before permanent deformation occurs under external force.

Generally, the thicker the steel, the lower the yield strength. However, the certified EN-S355 grade uniform yield strength product guarantees a uniform yield strength of 355 MPa even at the thickest 120 mm thickness, meeting the manufacturing conditions required by the European standard for wind power use.

The Pohang Steelworks Heavy Plate Plant was approved as a production facility for wind power products by the Norwegian Classification Society and held a certification plaque awarding ceremony on the 17th. The photo shows (from left) Hong Heon-ho, Head of Heavy Plate Department at Pohang Steelworks; Baek Young-min, Head of Norwegian Classification Society Korea Branch; Seo Young-gi, Head of POSCO Energy Shipbuilding Marketing Office; and Kim Jin-bo, Deputy Head of Process Quality at Pohang Steelworks. Photo by POSCO.

When applying this product to wind power structures of 8 MW or higher, steel weight can be reduced by about 5% compared to existing European standard materials, with little difference in manufacturing cost. POSCO's uniform yield strength product can provide solutions to customers regarding the increased demand for materials due to the recent upsizing of wind turbines and rising raw material prices. It is also expected to contribute to reducing production costs per unit of electricity.

Seo Young-gi, head of POSCO's Energy Shipbuilding Marketing Office, said, “POSCO is the first and only steel company in the world to receive certification for heavy plate products and factories for renewable energy from a global classification society,” adding, “Based on this certification, we will actively pursue securing steel demand in the offshore wind power market in the future.”

Amid the global trend of energy transition, the wind energy market is expected to grow rapidly at an average annual rate of about 15%, centered on offshore wind power. Going forward, POSCO plans to enhance the quality competitiveness of heavy plate products for wind power generation and continue developing customized steel materials for customers.

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