Four South Korean companies signed a memorandum of understanding on 27 October to develop a Gunsan offshore wind cluster at the Gunsan Shipyard. The plan centres on using about 330,000 square metres of idle land for manufacturing and supply-chain activities. The signatories are HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, J-Ocean Heavy Industries, Myeongun Industrial Development and Unison.

The agreement brings together shipyard infrastructure with experience in shipbuilding, offshore engineering, wind development and turbine production. J-Ocean Heavy Industries will use the Gunsan yard’s facilities as a production base for offshore wind structures and related equipment. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction will contribute to production bases for wind turbine towers, offshore substations and other offshore structures, drawing on its shipbuilding and offshore manufacturing experience.

Unison plans to establish a facility for large offshore wind turbines. Myeongun Industrial Development will contribute its offshore wind project development capabilities, while it and Unison will share technical and production expertise and cooperate on the related equipment supply chain. The companies said the MOU is intended to combine their capabilities to build a supply chain and identify business opportunities.

The cluster is planned for the shipyard’s idle land, while areas needed for vessel construction will remain allocated to shipbuilding. In a separate development, J-Ocean Heavy Industries has signed letters of intent covering construction of 10 vessels over the previous four months, according to HJ Shipbuilding & Construction. The vessels include crude oil and petrochemical product carriers. The company announcement describes the shipbuilding LOIs as part of preparations to resume the yard’s core shipbuilding business. Details of the MOU are available in HJ Shipbuilding & Construction’s announcement.