Doosan Heavy unveil 8MW wind turbine prototype in Korea

Energy solutions provider Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has announced that it has completed implementation of the 8MW offshore wind turbine prototype at the Korea Wind Power Demonstration Center, which is located in Baeksu, Yeonggwang of South Jeolla Province.

The 8MW offshore wind turbine was developed as a collaborative project led by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) and is touted as Korea’s largest wind turbine to date.

The wind turbine is made up of a 100-metre long blade and a tower that stands 130 metres high. It stands 232.5 metres high in total, making it nearly as tall as the N Seoul Tower which stands 236.7 meters tall.

According to Doosan, the turbine has the capacity to produce 8MW of power where winds blow at a speed of 11m/s and shows a utilisation rate of 30% or higher even when the average wind speed is 6.5m/s.

Doosan applied the gearless direct drive-type generator to the turbine, which provides higher structural stability and energy efficiency, owing to the simplified power transmission system, and lower maintenance costs.

Hongook Park, CEO of Doosan Heavy’s Power Services Business Group, said: “We have been working on developing a model that is specially designed to suit the conditions of the Korean wind environment, a typhoon-prone region that has an average wind speed that is comparatively lower than Europe.

“By adding this large-capacity 8MW model to our existing models that include the 3MW and 5.5MW wind turbines, we have effectively expanded our product line-up.”

He added: “By working together with the local wind power companies, we plan to increase the local manufacturing of parts, which is currently in the 70% range or higher, to an even higher percentage and will seek to contribute to promotion of the domestic wind power ecosystem.”

In preparation for a growing number of wind turbine orders, Doosan Heavy has built a second wind turbine shop at its Changwon headquarters and began securing additional manpower last year.

The next steps for the 8MW wind turbine will be for Doosan to initiate the commissioning process, after which international certification for the wind turbine will be obtained and final preparations for commercialization will be completed in June.