Offshore Wind Consultants launches Tokyo and Seoul offices

UK-headquartered Offshore Wind Consultants (OWC) has opened new offices in Tokyo and Seoul, expanding its footprint in Asia to three offices. 

Owned by AqualisBraemar, a technical consultancy to the energy, marine and insurance sectors, Offshore Wind Consultants is a specialised engineering and project management consultancy providing independent services to the offshore wind industry. Since launching in 2011, the consulting firm has delivered assignments amounting to 43 GW of experience across Europe, Asia and the US, including some of the largest fixed and floating offshore wind projects. 

To meet growing demand for its services in Asia, which is rapidly adopting offshore wind as part of broader renewable energy strategies, Offshore Wind Consultants has expanded into South Korea and Japan. Commenting on the move, OWC managing director Will Cleverly said: “We continue our expansion into key emerging markets. We believe a local presence is central to leveraging our global expertise and providing the best possible local support to wind farm developers.” 

In South Korea, Noh Joon Park has been appointed to head up the new office in Seoul. Park joins from parent company AqualisBraemar’s Singapore office, where was a project director for the past six years. Previously, he spent four years as project manager at DNV GL and almost 20 years with Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The move comes against a backdrop of a growing market – the South Korean government has announced that it aims to reach 30-35% renewables in its energy mix by 2040. This translates to installing almost 130GW of renewable energy by 2040, compared to current capacity of around 11.3GW.

“Offshore wind is not a major energy source in South Korea today, but we see huge opportunities within both fixed and floating offshore wind installations. Our presence here reflects our ambitions to support the country’s green energy drive,” said Cleverly.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Isao Terasawa has been named the firm’s first country manager. He joined the consultancy from Mott MacDonald, where he was general manager of its Japanese wing. According to his LinkedIn account, Terasawa has been involved in several offshore wind projects in Japan, including the Akita, Kashima and Hibikinada offshore wind farms.

Cleverly: “The Japanese government has announced big ambitions when it comes to renewables in general and offshore wind specifically. We want to be part of that vision and be available for offshore wind developers here, while also contributing towards local job and value creation.” 

To date, Offshore Wind Consultants had been serving its Asian clients from its office in Tapei, Taiwan.