Energy Transition Norway and Jeju Province sign MOU to accelerate offshore wind

Energy Transition Norway (ETN) is proud to announce the signing of a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mr. Oh Young-un, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, South Korea, marking a critical step toward realizing Jeju's ambitious carbon neutrality and energy transition goals.

The signing took place on September 24, 2024 in Innovation Park Stavanger, as part of a meeting initiated by Innovation Norway South Korean office.

Jeju Province, located in the southernmost region of South Korea, is facing urgent climate challenges, particularly rising sea levels that threaten its coastline.

In response, Jeju aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035 — 15 years ahead of mainland Korea — with offshore wind power playing a central role in their strategy.

The signing ceremony in Norway was attended by a delegation of 20 officials and industry leaders from Jeju, who explored Norway’s advanced renewable energy solutions and technology.

Equinor Norway and Equinor South Korea was also represented at the meeting.

The MOU formalizes a commitment between Jeju Province and Energy Transition Norway to collaborate on several key areas:

- Offshore wind development: A core part of the MOU is to facilitate the design, installation, and operation of offshore wind farms in Jeju, leveraging Norway’s cutting-edge technology and experience in the sector. This includes sharing technical expertise, best practices, and experiences to help Jeju develop large-scale offshore wind projects.

- Infrastructure support: The agreement underscores the need to develop supporting infrastructure, including operations and maintenance of ports and facilities to enable efficient operation and maintenance of the wind farms.

- Investment and innovation: The MOU emphasizes attracting investment in renewable energy infrastructure and supporting Jeju’s ambitions to become a hub for offshore wind technology in South Korea. The parties will work to foster long-term business partnerships and investment in sustainable energy projects.

- Knowledge and technology sharing: ETN and Jeju have committed to ongoing knowledge exchange, particularly in areas such as wind turbine technologies, floating offshore foundations, and renewable energy integration.

The event featured presentations from leading Norwegian technology companies actively contributing to the global offshore wind sector:

RA Wind, developing the world's largest offshore wind turbines, aiming to halve energy production costs, Flex2Power, presenting their innovative floating platforms that integrate wind, wave, and solar energy, offering a more efficient use of sea space and reducing overall costs, GeoProvider, experts in geotechnical solutions, helping offshore wind projects become smarter and more sustainable, and Archer Wind, focused on streamlining wind turbine foundation fabrication and installation, reducing costs while maintaining competitive offshore wind energy solutions.

ETN's sister organization, the Norwegian Offshore Wind cluster in Haugesund, also signed an MOU with Jeju Province that day.