□ The Republic of Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), with Jung Keuk Kang as president, unveiled its plan to conduct international joint research on reliability-based offshore wind turbine design in collaboration with Denmark and the U.S. at the request of Aalborg University in Denmark, which is renowned for its offshore wind power technology.

□ KIOST and the GOWIND Project Team of Kunsan National University invited a group of international researchers in offshore wind power, including Professor Lars Andersen of Aalborg University, Professor Lance Manuel of the University of Texas, and Dr. Y.Chen of GL Garrad Hassan in the U.K., to hold the “International Workshop on Reliability-Based Design of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structures and Wind-Wave Load Calculation” at the Ramada Hotel in Seoul on August 29, 2013.

□ The workshop invited about 170 offshore wind power experts from leading power generation companies such as Hyundai Heavy Industries, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, as well as construction firms such as Hyundai Engineering and Construction, Daewoo E&C, and Daelim Industrial. The purpose of the workshop was to seek the development of an offshore wind power complex using reliability-based design in Republic of Korea. The workshop provided an opportunity for the participants to share their advanced research results on the reliability-based design of offshore wind power support structures.

□ The most significant outcome of the workshop was the fact that KIOST’s world-class research capability in the reliability-based design of offshore wind power support structures was recognized, and that it was invited by Aalborg University in Denmark to participate, not just cooperate, in an actual joint research project on offshore wind power with Denmark and the U.S.

□ Dr. Gil Rim Yoon, of the Coastal Development & Ocean Energy Research Division of KIOST, said, “Denmark and the U.S. possess the world’s best offshore wind power design technology. By participating in international joint research with the two countries, KIOST is expected to obtain advanced reliability-based offshore wind power design technology, thus significantly contributing to the development of the offshore wind power industry in Republic of Korea.”

□ KIOST has been conducting research and development on offshore wind power design technology as its major project since 2012. KIOST is currently analyzing offshore wind power reliability and developing a dedicated program with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and the Republic of Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning.