One of the world’s largest shipbuilders, South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), is stepping into the offshore wind arena with its independently developed floater model.

SHI said on Monday it has received approval in principle (AIP) from the Norwegian classification society DNV for its 9.5 MW large-scale offshore wind floater model, called the Tri-Star Float.

The 9.5-megawatt floater should help cut the construction period from design and transportation to installation by removing pontoons, a steel-frame structure supporting wind generator on the sea, Samsung Heavy explained.

SHI plans to advance into the market targeting the government-led Donghae-1 floating wind farm project, which will generate 6 GW of power.

“The offshore floater will enable us to make forays into the renewable energy sector using our capacity to build large-scale offshore plants. We hope our development is aligned with the government’s Green New Deal Policy,” said Wang K. Lee, vice president of the offshore business division of SHI.

SHI began the development of the independent floater model in October 2020 before completing the floating water tank model test at the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO) in March.