Hanwha Ocean Successfully Develops Own Model for Offshore Wind Floating Substructure

Sohn Young-chang, Vice President and Head of Product Strategy Technology Center at Hanwha Ocean (fifth from the left), Shin Sung-ho, Vice President of DNV (fourth from the left), and other company officials are posing for a commemorative photo after the concept approval ceremony. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

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Hanwha Ocean has successfully developed its own model of the lower floating body, a core component of floating offshore wind turbines. As the floating offshore wind market continues to grow, Hanwha Ocean has solidified its position in the wind power market by accommodating large-scale 15MW-class offshore wind turbines, which are emerging as the industry standard.

Hanwha Ocean 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 technology’s stability and compliance with international regulations.

Fixed offshore wind turbines are installed by placing substructures on the seabed in shallow waters, with the turbine mounted 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,’ independently developed by Hanwha Ocean. The number ‘15’ indicates that it can accommodate a large 15MW-class offshore wind turbine. The power industry analyzes that installing offshore wind turbines of at least 10MW 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 chosen 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 15MW-class 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 applied a design to the lower floating body that considers the concentration of turbine loads, optimizing weight while maintaining structural stability.

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 for achieving 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, floating offshore wind accounts for less than 1% of total offshore wind capacity in 2023 but is expected to reach about 11% by 2040.

Floating offshore wind turbines generate electricity by mounting turbines on floating bodies on the sea, enabling power generation even in deep offshore waters. Generally, wind speeds increase further offshore, improving generation efficiency. Due to their distance from land, floating offshore wind turbines cause relatively less noise pollution and visual impact, enhancing community acceptance.

Hanwha Ocean has positioned 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.

A Hanwha Ocean representative stated, "We will strengthen our competitiveness in the global offshore wind market through continuous technology development and value chain expansion."

A DNV representative said, "Through this conceptual approval process, Hanwha Ocean’s outstanding technology was proven, and we also confirmed the potential of integrated coupled analysis for floating offshore wind using DNV’s wind turbine design software, Bladed."

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