Unison, Myungwoon Industrial Development, J-Ocean Heavy Industries and HJ Heavy Industries Sign MOU to Build Offshore Wind Cluster in Gunsan

From left, Ha Hwajeong, CEO of J Ocean Heavy Industries; Yoo Sangcheol, CEO of HJ Heavy Industries; Cha Jeonghun, chairman of HJ Heavy Industries; Kim Jaejun, mayor of Gunsan; Kim Kanghak, chairman of Myeongun Industrial Development; and Kim Byungju, CEO of Unison, pose for a commemorative photo after signing an MOU to establish a Gunsan offshore wind power cluster. Provided by Myeongun Industrial Development.

Unison, Myungwoon Industrial Development, J-Ocean Heavy Industries and HJ Heavy Industries have joined forces to develop Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, into a hub for South Korea's offshore wind industry. The companies plan to build an integrated production complex in Gunsan, manufacturing everything from large offshore wind turbines to key equipment such as offshore substations.

The four companies said on October 28 that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on "Building an Offshore Wind Turbine Factory at Gunsan Shipyard and Strategic Business Cooperation" at HJ Heavy Industries' Namyeong headquarters on October 27. Gunsan Mayor Kim Jaejun attended the ceremony, while Kim Kanghak, chairman of Myungwoon Industrial Development; Kim Byeongju, CEO of Unison; Yoo Sangcheol, CEO of HJ Heavy Industries; and Ha Hwajeong, CEO of J-Ocean Heavy Industries, signed the agreement.

The core of the partnership is to bring together the companies' production and technological capabilities at the Gunsan Shipyard site, where J-Ocean Heavy Industries is pursuing a project. The companies will combine the production infrastructure and technical expertise of J-Ocean Heavy Industries and HJ Heavy Industries with Myungwoon Industrial Development's offshore wind development capabilities and Unison's turbine technology and production capacity to establish an integrated offshore wind production complex.

Unison plans to build a large offshore wind turbine factory on a long-term lease of the Gunsan Shipyard site being acquired by J-Ocean Heavy Industries. The facility will produce 10-MW turbines developed through national research and development (R&D), as well as 13.6-MW and 16-MW turbines based on technologies acquired from overseas.

The large turbines produced at the factory will be supplied to offshore wind projects being pursued by Myungwoon Industrial Development. The 340-MW Hanbit Offshore Wind project, being developed by the company, was selected in the government's competitive bidding process in June.

The plan to build a turbine factory in Gunsan was also included as one of the flagship projects under the "Green Transformation (K-GX, Korea Green Transformation)" initiative announced by the government on October 7. The project is therefore expected to be linked with future government support measures, including subsidies, tax benefits and financial assistance.

In particular, establishing domestic production capacity for large 10-MW, 13.6-MW and 16-MW turbines is expected to help build a domestic supply chain for large turbines, supporting the government's target of deploying 25 GW of offshore wind power by 2035.

HJ Heavy Industries plans to expand its business at Gunsan Shipyard beyond its existing shipbuilding operations to include key offshore wind equipment, such as offshore substations (OSS). The company aims to enter the offshore wind equipment business and secure future growth engines by leveraging the expertise it has built up in ship design and construction.

The partnership is also expected to affect the development of an offshore wind supply chain in the Gunsan area. With Unison's large turbine factory and HJ Heavy Industries' key equipment production facilities in place, an offshore wind supply chain could take shape alongside existing local manufacturers of blades and transition pieces (TPs), as well as their partners.

The companies expect that linking the project with nearby infrastructure - including Gunsan Port's Pier 7, designated as an offshore wind support port; the Saemangeum Offshore Wind Industry Support Center; Gunsan National University's Offshore Wind Research Institute and Wind Technology Research Center; and a wind turbine test building - will help establish Gunsan as an offshore wind cluster spanning industry, academia, research and government.

"To grow South Korea's offshore wind industry, which lags far behind those of OECD countries, it is important to rapidly and boldly expand deployment while strengthening the domestic supply chain for key equipment," said Kim Kanghak, chairman of Myungwoon Industrial Development.

He added, "This MOU marks an important starting point for Unison, a specialist company that has developed and produced wind turbines for more than 25 years, to secure and manufacture large-turbine technology. It will also be a nationally significant milestone."

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