Hanwha Ocean Successfully Develops Own Model for Offshore Wind Floating Substructure

Norwegian DNV Grants Conceptual Approval, Capable of Accommodating Large 15 MW Turbines
Trademark Application Filed for Hanwha Ocean's Own Floating Offshore Wind Brand 'WindHive'
Floating Offshore Wind Technology Secured Following Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Expertise

Hanwha Ocean has successfully developed its own model of the lower floating body, a core component of floating offshore wind turbines.

A bird's-eye view of the 'WindHive 15-H3' (yellow structure) equipped with a large offshore wind turbine.

As the floating offshore wind market continues to grow, Hanwha Ocean has solidified its position in the wind power market by accommodating large-scale 15 MW offshore wind turbines, which are emerging as the industry mainstream.

Hanwha Ocean (CEO Hee-chul Kim) has obtained Approval In Principle (AIP) for the conceptual design (Pre-FEED) of the lower floating body of offshore wind turbines from the Norwegian classification society DNV. The approval process verifies the technical stability and compliance with international regulations.

Fixed offshore wind turbines install substructures on the seabed of shallow waters and place turbines on top. In contrast, floating offshore wind turbines support the turbine load while the substructure floats on the water. Securing floating body technology capable of stably supporting the turbine is essential. In particular, the technology for the lower floating body can leverage accumulated know-how from the construction of floating offshore plants based on similar principles, making it a promising future business for shipyards.

The lower floating body model that received conceptual approval this time is the ‘WindHive 15-H3,’ developed independently by Hanwha Ocean. The number ‘15’ indicates that it can accommodate large-scale 15 MW offshore wind turbines. The power industry analyzes that installing offshore wind turbines of at least 10 MW is necessary to secure business feasibility. This reflects the high demand in the industry for the production and utilization of large offshore wind turbines.

‘H3’ means it consists of three hexagonal columns. The hexagonal shape was adopted to facilitate connections between the columns. In 2023, Hanwha Ocean named the floating offshore wind farm brand ‘WindHive’ and filed for trademark rights.

The rotor diameter of the 15 MW large offshore wind turbine assumed to be equipped with the WindHive 15-H3 is 240 meters. The diameter of the circle traced by the rotating blades of the wind turbine is comparable to the height of the 63 Building. Hanwha Ocean optimized the weight while maintaining structural stability by applying a design that considers the concentration of turbine loads on the lower floating body.

With this approval, Hanwha Ocean has expanded its offshore wind solutions by securing floating offshore wind technology in addition to its existing capability to build Wind Turbine Installation Vessels (WTIVs). To date, Hanwha Ocean has secured orders for four WTIVs used for installing fixed offshore wind turbines, the highest number of orders in South Korea.

Wind power is a key renewable energy source to achieve carbon neutrality. Currently, fixed offshore wind turbines dominate, but interest in floating wind power, which can be installed in deep waters, is gradually increasing. According to the Korea Energy Economics Institute, the share of floating offshore wind in total offshore wind is less than 1% in 2023 but is expected to reach about 11% by 2040.

Floating offshore wind turbines place turbines on floating bodies on the sea, enabling electricity generation even in deep offshore waters. Generally, wind strength increases farther from the coast, improving power generation efficiency. Due to the nature of floating offshore wind being far from land, noise pollution and landscape damage are relatively low, enhancing local community acceptance.

Hanwha Ocean has set offshore wind as a future growth engine and plans to expand its business across the entire offshore wind value chain. Last year, Hanwha Ocean acquired the wind power division from Hanwha Corporation to strengthen business competitiveness and maximize efficiency.

Hanwha Ocean Vice President and Head of Product Strategy Technology Institute Son Young-chang (5th from left), DNV Vice President Shin Sung-ho (4th), and other company officials are posing for a commemorative photo after the concept approval ceremony. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

A Hanwha Ocean official said, “We will strengthen our competitiveness in the global offshore wind market through continuous technology development and value chain expansion.”

A DNV official stated, “Through this conceptual approval process, Hanwha Ocean’s outstanding technology was proven, and we were able to confirm the potential of integrated coupled analysis for floating offshore wind using DNV’s wind turbine design software, Bladed.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.