Taean Coal Power Infrastructure Reborn as Offshore Wind... Korea Western Power and Private Sector to Jointly Develop 500MW Project

Targeting Completion by 2030: Power for 350,000 Households Annually
Cutting Costs by Utilizing Transmission Networks and Piers from Decommissioned Coal Plants
Transition Training for Coal Power Plant Workers into Offshore Wind Sector Also Planned

Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (second from left), and Lee Jung-bok, President of Korea Western Power (third from left), are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for Taean Offshore Wind Power at the Korea Electric Power Corporation Namseoul Headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 8th. Ministry of Climate.

The government, public enterprises, and global offshore wind developers are joining forces to jointly develop a 500MW offshore wind power complex off the coast of Taean, South Chungcheong Province. The plan is to build a 'just transition' model by repurposing existing infrastructure such as transmission networks and piers from decommissioned coal-fired power plants, while also providing retraining for coal power plant workers.

On July 8, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that Korea Western Power had signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for the Taean Offshore Wind Power Project with Vena Energy and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) at the Korea Electric Power Corporation Namseoul Headquarters in Seoul.

The Taean Offshore Wind Power Project aims to construct a 500MW offshore wind power complex in the western waters of Taean County, South Chungcheong Province, with the goal of completion by 2030. Upon completion, the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 350,000 households annually.

With this agreement, the government expects a variety of outcomes from public institutions participating in the project, including the expansion of renewable energy supply, strengthening of offshore wind development capabilities, enhancement of public interest in the project, and the redeployment of coal-fired power plant personnel.

A key feature of this project is the proactive utilization of infrastructure from decommissioned coal-fired power plants. Korea Western Power plans to use the available transmission capacity from Taean Unit 1 (500MW), which was shut down at the end of last year, to reduce the cost of building new transmission lines and to increase local acceptance of the project. The small pier within the Taean power plant will also be repurposed as a base for the maintenance of offshore wind facilities.

Personnel support for a just transition is also being pursued. On the same day, Korea Western Power, its labor union, and CIP signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide transition training for coal power plant workers into the offshore wind sector. CIP, which has experience nurturing offshore wind specialists in Denmark and Taiwan, will offer a variety of training programs over the next two years.

Korea Western Power plans to sequentially decommission eight out of its eleven coal-fired power plants, including Taean Unit 1, by 2037. In line with this, starting with the Taean Offshore Wind Power Project, the company intends to invest in a total of 1.4GW worth of offshore wind developments in the Taean region, thereby increasing the share of renewable energy and contributing to local job creation.

Seonghwan Kim, Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, stated, "The government will steadfastly pursue its goal of supplying and commencing construction of 10.5GW of offshore wind power by 2030. At the same time, we will work to secure price competitiveness through economies of scale, strengthen the industrial ecosystem, and enhance the tangible benefits for local residents. The Taean Offshore Wind Power Project is expected to serve as a representative case of a just transition in areas where coal power plants have been decommissioned, and we will spare no policy support to help this model spread."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.