Unison unveils 10MW wind turbine as South Korea's offshore sprint gathers pace

South Korean wind turbine manufacturer Unison has unveiled a 10MW direct-drive offshore model, marking another potential leap forward for the Korean supply chain.

Unison said its first 10MW machine, under development since 2018, is undergoing final testing and announced plans to install full scale prototypes on a wind farm next year, adding that the new platform should be ready for commercialisation by 2026.

The company said the 10MW turbines have passed manufacturing and design assessments by the Korea Energy Agency and performance and certification tests are scheduled for October. The prototype turbines are already being assembled, the company added.

Unison described the progress on its offshore wind turbine project at a technical briefing session on domestic wind turbines held on Thursday.

The company also outlined the technical features and development status of its own 4MW U4 platform, which already has 50 wind turbine generators deployed onshore in the country, with ratings of up to 4.5MW.

The briefing was attended by industry experts as well as power generation public companies such as KEPCO and Korea East-West Power.

A Unison spokesperson noted that the offshore wind roadmap announced by the South Korean government in September includes a separate public-led tender process, to be opened in the first half of next year.

"The 10MW offshore turbine developed by Unison is expected to have a strong competitive advantage (in) public-led offshore wind farms developed by Kepco or power generation companies," the spokesperson said.

The roadmap added more weight to non-price criteria in offshore wind tenders, in what was seen as a move to bolster development of the domestic supply chain.

Chinese turbines and cables accounted for about a third of component sourcing when 1.5GW of offshore wind capacity was allocated in a 2023 auction, setting alarm bells ringing along Korea's domestic supply chain.

But Korea has also shown itself open to inward investment from China, and Unison has established a technical partnership with Chinese OEM Mingyang aimed at developing bigger turbine models, noted Philip Totaro, CEO of renewable energy consultancy IntelStor in a LinkeIn post.

Mingyang outlined plans for a joint venture with Unison when it secured an order last year for 13 offshore wind turbines with a 6.5MW rating for the Aphae 80MW wind farm in southwest Korea.

The partnership will provide “top-tier products and services, contributing to carbon neutrality efforts in South Korea and the surrounding region,” said Mingyang.