Samsung Heavy Industries has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Equinor, Norway’s state-run energy company, to supply structures for offshore wind farms. Announced on August 7, this preferred supplier agreement (PSA) positions Samsung Heavy Industries as the exclusive manufacturer of floating substructures for the Firefly Floating Offshore Wind Power Project, located in the East Sea between Korea and Japan.
The agreement is a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between Equinor and Samsung Heavy Industries, discussed in July by Equinor Chairman Anders Opedal and Samsung Heavy Industries Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an. Equinor plans to develop a floating offshore wind farm capable of generating up to 750 megawatts (MW), located 60 to 70 kilometers off the coast of Ulsan, Korea.
If Equinor wins the project bid, Samsung Heavy Industries will manufacture the substructures for 50 15-megawatt floating offshore wind turbines and handle the marshalling work necessary to integrate them with towers and turbines. The Korean government is expected to announce the project’s tender winner later this year.
Samsung Heavy Industries is expanding its presence in the offshore wind power sector by developing its own floating wind farm model, Tri-Star Float. The company initially partnered with Equinor in September 2022 and continues to hold regular meetings to explore further cooperation and business strategies.
