GS Entec delivers first monopile to South Jeolla

GS Entec delivered its first monopile for an offshore wind turbine project in South Jeolla on Thursday.

GS Entec delivered its first monopile for an offshore wind turbine project in South Jeolla on Thursday. [GS ENTEC]

GS Entec delivered its first monopile for an offshore wind turbine project in South Jeolla on Thursday.

A monopile is a type of foundation used in offshore wind turbines. GS Entec’s monopile delivery makes it the first time for a Korean company to manufacture and supply the substructure for a Korean offshore turbine project producing more than 100 megawatts.

The monopile, coming in at 71.2 meters (233 ft) in length, 7.5 meters in diameter and 895.6 tons is capable of installing a 5.7-megawatt turbine.

GS Entec will supply a total of 64 monopolies to the Younggwang Nagwol offshore wind turbine project until September 2025.

The company started a strategic partnership with Netherlands-based Sif Netherlands BV, a leading firm in offshore wind turbine monopile technology, in 2023 and signed an exclusive technology license contract the same year. GS Entec invested 300 billion won ($216 million) into monopile production, which included introducing Sif-made automation equipment and transforming its existing factory into a monopile-producing factory.

“Starting with the monopiles for the Younggwang [offshore wind turbine] project, we hope to supply monopiles to more offshore wind turbine projects in Korea and in Japan,” GS Entec said.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]