LOC wins MWS contract for 60-MW offshore project in South Korea

International marine and engineering consultancy LOC Group has been retained by Korea Offshore Wind Power (KOWP) and Swiss Re to carry out marine warranty surveying (MWS) services on the 60 MW test phase of Korea’s Southwest Offshore Windfarm Project.

LOC’s contract for services will run from the second quarter of 2017 until early 2019.

The project is being developed by Korea Offshore Wind (KOWP). KOWP's shareholders are Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Korea East West Power (KEWP), Korea South East Power Corporation (KOSEP), Korea Southern Power Corporation (KOSPO), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and Korea Midland Power Corporation (KOMIPO).

The project, which will include twenty 3MW wind turbines from Korean manufacturer Doosan, and an offshore high voltage substation, is being built by KOWP, a subsidiary of KEPCO. Furthermore, the scheme will provide an R&D opportunity for the construction team, with the installation of two different foundation types for comparison.

A combination of suction bucket type foundations (developed by KEPRI) and a Warren Truss type four leg jacket (developed by POSCO, a multinational steel-marker headquartered in Pohang) will be used on the site.

As part of the international LOC Group, which has extensive offshore wind experience all over the world, LOC Korea has provided MWS to Korea’s first offshore wind farm, the 30 MW Tamra project off the southern island of Jeju, which began producing power in September 2016.

Outside of Asia, the LOC Renewables team have provided engineering services to more than two thirds of offshore wind farms in Europe, and to a growing number of projects in North America.

Commenting on the agreement Zhoongkeun Kim, Country Manager at LOC Korea, said:

“The Southwest Offshore Windfarm Project shows Korea’s strong commitment to engineering and technical expertise in offshore wind development. Our marine warranty survey on behalf of Swiss Re will ensure the construction of the its test phase meets the highest technical and international standards for offshore engineering.”

HyunTae Cho, Senior Engineering Underwriter at Swiss Re, stated:

“LOC Korea were an ideal choice to provide MWS for KOWP. Their local team combine strong technical expertise with an understanding of local market needs, backed by extensive international experience.”

RV Ahilan, Group Director, Renewables Advisory & Energy Technology at LOC Group added:

“LOC Korea’s win on this important project further adds to the Group’s global experience and expertise in offshore wind engineering consultancy.”