Equinor has chosen Technip Energies to perform the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for substructures for the Firefly offshore floating wind farm, located 70 kilometers offshore Ulsan in South Korea.
The design of the substructures will be based on Technip Energies INO 15 design and in alignment with Equinor’s Wind Semi design principles for a three-column semi-submersible floater well suited for fabrication in large series by local yards in South Korea.
“We are very happy to bring the combined experience of Equinor and Technip Energies from floating wind projects in harsh environments in the North Sea to the Firefly project; one of the first floating offshore wind farms in South Korea, one of the first large scale floating wind farms ever realized, and also the world’s largest floating wind farm when it starts operation. This project will spearhead the Equinor wind semi, a floating substructure that builds on our combined experience, and is also well suited for the South Korean value chain. Together with Technip Energies we are confident we can find cost effective substructure solutions that also create strong opportunities for local value creations,” says Dohyun Park, deputy project director for the Firefly project.
The floating offshore wind projects in Ulsan, of which Firefly will be one of the first, ushers in a new era for the area, developing a local floating offshore wind industry that can capitalize on new opportunities in a growing global market.
“We are building for the future in South Korea and have established a core team dedicated to Floating Offshore Wind in Korea. We have a long track record working with the local supply chain, having executed projects in Korea for many years. Our aspiration now is to contribute to building the floating offshore wind industry in the country, fostering the energy transition,” says Willy Gauttier, VP Offshore Floating Wind at Technip Energies.
The Firefly wind farm is planned for an area of 2 x 75 km2 approximately 70 km off the coast of Ulsan. The approx. 800 MW project is planned to start operations in 2027.
