South Korea pursues ambitious goals in expanding renewable energies. By 2030 it plans to install 23 gigawatts in wind power capacity, around ten percent of the total demand for electricity. Three large test fields off the South Korean coast are in the planning phase.
The BLG LOGISTICS GROUP is currently examining the opportunities on the Korean market of bringing to bear its performance potential in the wind energy logistics sector and will therefore also be present at the German joint booth when the most important trade fair for renewable energy in Korea, the International Green Energy Expo – Wind Power Korea 2013 (IGEEC), takes place from April 3 to 5.
The IGEEC 2013 enables ideal access to the Korean and the entire Asian market since not only 20 top global players, but also all major Korean manufacturers and developers come together here for talks, particularly with European partners. As a technological leader in logistics for the offshore wind industry, BLG is currently involved in setting up the North Sea wind farms Global Tech 1, Trianel Windpark Borkum, Nordsee Ost and Meerwind Ost by providing transport, cargo handling, storage and engineering services. In Bremerhaven it operates a special offshore terminal as well as the Bremerhaven Logistics Center. Bremerhaven is the biggest European location in the sector. There are now over 3,000 new jobs among the leading equipment manufacturers alone in this city while other jobs have been created at research and training institutions, at suppliers as well as in the port and the logistics segment.
Because of the exceptional dimensions of the offshore components, BLG has developed innovative logistics solutions based on a modular design. BLG has thus grown in the wind energy sector from a logistics company with decades of experience in port operations as well as procurement, production and distribution logistics to a development service provider and technology consultant for the offshore wind industry. As a result, the company is able to manage the highly complex chain from procurement to production and all the way to installation at sea. Logistics is a hard production factor in the offshore wind energy sector, currently contributing to a quarter of the total costs. By means of intelligent processes and networking the various interfaces, however, it is possible to significantly reduce the costs for construction and operation of offshore facilities.
One example of cross-company logistics processes is the transportation of large foundation structures. BLG has invested in a specially developed pontoon, OFFSHORE BHV 1, for this purpose. It enables the company to transport, among other things, basic elements for offshore wind turbines weighing 900 tons and having a height of 60 meters. An innovative rail system was developed for loading and unloading. With a length of 70 meters, a width of 32 meters and a load capacity of 8,000 tons the pontoon is used, for example, to transport components for the North Sea wind farms.
[mappress]
Press release, April 3, 2013; Image: BLG