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Image of a LiDAR being transported at night on a large truck

Equinor and RPS successfully launch LiDAR buoys, Ulsan, South Korea

South Korea has ambitious plans to develop 12GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. To support this growing demand, Equinor is planning to develop the floating offshore wind project Firefly.

RPS was engaged to deliver two Floating LiDAR buoys to collect the data that will determine future investment decisions. July 2020 they were deployed into the East Sea from Ulsan, marking a significant project milestone. Over the next year, a feasibility study into the viability of wind resource will be conducted.

To ensure the commercial viability of an offshore wind farm, our clients need reliable resource data to support their project feasibility assessment. Our primary concern is developing a design that maximises data accuracy and return through reliability, while making the process of information gathering easier, safer and more cost-effective.

Equinor Managing Director and Country Office Manager for South Korea, Jacques-Etienne Michel said:

“We are pleased to see the Floating LiDARs being deployed. The data gathered through this feasibility study will be important to determine the way forward for what could be Asia’s first floating offshore wind farm. To get there, we are looking forward to collaborating with all partners as we see strong potential in developing offshore wind in South Korea.”

LiDAR buoys being deployed off the coast of Ulsan

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions the Australian team couldn’t be on-site to oversee this activity themselves – but thanks to our partnerships and local presence through Sam Roh, our Country Manager - South Korea, we were still able to deploy and operate these buoys on time.

These buoys will spend 12 months moored some 80km out to sea collecting and transmitting wind and wave data to validate the wind resource and assess design conditions for Equinor.

Deployment photos

Our LiDAR buoys being transported prior to final preparation and deployment to sea.
We are committed to sustainable solutions. Our buoys are powered by wind and sun, helping meet the stringent environmental consenting conditions often associated with wind farm projects, and reducing our own carbon footprint.
It's a complex balance of agile yet precise manoeuvrability when lowering these LiDAR buoys into the water and then delivering them out to sea where they will spend months collecting wind and wave data.

Reliable environmental solutions deployed offshore

The RPS Floating LiDAR buoy design is environmentally friendly and Stage 3 maturity certified (the highest level of accreditation), qualifying them to collect bankable data at the highest level of buoy reliability and accuracy.

Applying our deep expertise of offshore measurement, our design and development process was focussed on creating a reliable solution to maximise data accuracy and return, while making the process of information gathering easier and more cost-effective for our clients.

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