Korea’s Largest Capacity Offshore Wind Turbine Now Type-Certified

December 13, 2022, by Adrijana Buljan

Doosan Enerbility has obtained a type certification for its 8 MW offshore wind turbine, DS205-8MW, from DEWI-OCC, the Germany-based international certification body. While DS205-8MW is not among the top world’s largest turbines, either size- or capacity-wise, it is the largest capacity model in Korea to date.

The DS205-8MW offshore wind turbine was designed for the Southwest Sea conditions, which include lower wind speeds when compared to Europe, according to Doosan.

With the rotor diametre of 205 metres and 100-metre-long blades, the wind turbine can be used even when the average wind speed is 6.5m/s and make it possible to achieve a utilisation rate over 30 per cent, the company says.

The 8 MW offshore wind turbine has been under development since 2018.

In January, a prototype was installed in Yeonggwang of South Jeolla Province for a demonstration run, which led to the securing of the international certification, for which all the applicable criteria in the areas of design evaluation, manufacturing evaluation, and type testing needed to be fulfilled.

Doosan has developed the DS205-8MW model with the support of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP), which is under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The company is one of five parties selected from the industry, academia and research sector to carry out the state project and has been responsible for directing the design, manufacturing and demonstration of the 8 MW turbine.

The blade was developed in cooperation with with the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and the blade manufacturer Human Composites and tested at the Buan Wind Power Testing Facility. Seil Engineering Co. was responsible for substructure design, transportation and installation, while Seoul National University was in charge of the noise reduction for turbine blades.

“We are seeking to expand the market by introducing the 8MW offshore wind turbine, which was developed jointly by the local industry, academia and research sectors, to the Korean offshore wind power market which has been the stage of competition for global wind power companies”, said Hongook Park, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Power Services Business Group.

“We aim to increase the local manufacturing of parts, which is currently over 70% to an ever higher rate, and to apply our local technology and manpower to the area of turbine maintenance services, which has largely been dependent on overseas companies until now. This will ultimately help to contribute to promoting the domestic offshore wind power ecosystem”.