Korea's largest dedicated offshore wind base has taken shape in the Gwangyang Bay area. It is expected to play a major role in building the offshore wind industry ecosystem in South Jeolla Province, which has emerged as a mecca for renewable energy.
According to the Gwangyang Bay Area Free Economic Zone Authority (GFEZ) on Tuesday, a completion ceremony for a "dedicated offshore wind finishing hall and large lifting equipment" was held that day at Hyundai Steel Industries' Yulchon plant in the Yulchon No. 1 Industrial Complex in the Gwangyang Bay area. The ceremony was attended by Hyundai Steel Industries CEO Lee Cheong-hyu, officials from Hyundai Engineering & Construction, National Assembly member Jeong Jun-ho, government and local government representatives, and major domestic and overseas clients and industry officials.
The facility, into which Hyundai Steel Industries invested a total of 30 billion won, aims to position the company as a global leader in the 15MW-class ultra-large offshore wind market in line with the trend toward larger structures.
The two dedicated offshore wind finishing halls completed this time secure a major-assembly environment measuring 55 meters in height and 50 meters in width, enabling the company to fully perform the manufacturing and finish-coating processes for 15MW-class ultra-large substructures (jackets). The previous finishing hall, at 20 meters in height, could only handle structures of 10MW or below.
In addition, the large lifting equipment (lifting tower) features the highest lifting capacity in Korea. Measuring 96 meters in height and 50 meters in width, it combines four 350-ton-class cranes to lift structures of up to 1,200 tons.
With this completion, Hyundai Steel Industries' in-house lifting capacity has expanded to double the previous 600 tons, and the efficiency of manufacturing and assembling 15MW-class offshore wind substructures (jackets) is expected to improve substantially.
Hyundai Steel Industries' Yulchon plant, which currently has an annual production capacity of 67,000 tons (27 jackets), has secured unrivaled competitiveness in the offshore wind structure manufacturing field on the back of this dedicated facility's completion.
Koo Chung-gon, commissioner of the GFEZ, said, "Now, as competition to scale up offshore wind gets fully underway, is the golden time to seize the global market first." He added, "We will do our utmost so that the Gwangyang Bay area can establish itself as a strategic hub for South Korea's offshore wind industry."
