Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and DNV GL have entered into an agreement to jointly develop floating wind technology, including floating foundations and remote maintenance solutions.
According to a press release from 26 October, the South Korean company decided to venture into designing and manufacturing this technology as there is an increasing demand for floating offshore wind power generation.
Referring to the floating platforms’ designs as similar to that of semi-submersible crude oil production facilities, SHI said it planned to respond to the future floating wind demand by developing a competitive model based on its existing offshore engineering capabilities and manufacturing experience.
In collaboration with DNV GL, SHI plans to design and bring to the market “large-capacity floating offshore wind power technology” and a remote maintenance solution based on “digital twin” technology.
Ho-Hyun Jung, head of technology development at Samsung Heavy Industries, said that with the global move to fight climate change and rising interest in new and renewable energy technologies, the demand for floating offshore wind power was also expected to increase. Therefore, SHI aims to secure its own design capability for wind floaters, according to Ho-Hyun Jung.