[Energy Odyssey] 13: Can South Korea, the "Land of Wind," Become an Offshore Wind Powerhouse?

III. The Dream of Electrification
Surrounded by sea on three sides, with abundant potential and an established industrial ecosystem
Successive administrations set goals for offshore wind leadership, but...
Wind power capacity accounts for just 6.5% of total renewable energy capacity
Barriers include low community acceptance, complex permitting, and high development costs
The Offshore Wind Act introduces a planned-site system
Challenges remain, including strengthening infrastructure and domestic supply chains

Editor's NoteEnergy has become more important than ever amid supply chain disruptions caused by recent conflicts in the Middle East and the government's mega-projects. South Korea faces the difficult task of achieving energy security, carbon neutrality, and economic growth at the same time, while relying on overseas sources for most of its primary energy. In this series, reporters covering energy developments on the ground will examine a range of current issues and seek solutions.

A view of the Yeonggwang Yaksu Offshore Wind Farm operated by Jeonnam Development Corporation.

One proposed way to reduce reliance on energy imports while meeting rising electricity demand in the AI era is to expand renewable energy and transition to an electrified nation. South Korea is considered well-positioned to expand offshore wind power, in particular, because it is surrounded by water on three sides.

Solar power currently accounts for an overwhelmingly large share of renewable energy, but its potential for long-term expansion is limited given South Korea's small land area. This is why some argue that offshore wind must play a key role in significantly expanding renewable energy.

By contrast, wind power still accounts for only a small share of total renewable energy.

According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, South Korea had 2.4 GW of wind power capacity in 2025 (2 GW onshore and 0.4 GW offshore), just 6.5% of its total renewable energy capacity of 37 GW. Its share of electricity generation is even smaller.

According to the 2025 Statistics of Korea Electric Power Corporation, renewable energy excluding new energy accounted for about 9.8% of South Korea's total electricity generation in 2025. Solar power accounted for about 6.0% of total generation, while wind power, including both onshore and offshore, accounted for just 0.6%.

From January through August 2026, wind power generation totaled 2,356 gigawatt-hours (GWh), just 5.8% of the total. Its share of generation actually fell from the previous year.

A fading dream: from "one of the world's top three offshore wind powers" to "one of the top five" to "a Northeast Asian hub"

In 2020, former President Moon Jae-in put forward a vision of using South Korea's geographic advantage of being surrounded by water on three sides to "become one of the world's top five offshore wind powers by 2030." He also set a target of increasing offshore wind capacity from 123 megawatts (MW) across three sites to 12 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, a 100-fold increase. In the 10th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, established by the government in December 2021, the target for offshore wind's share of generation by 2030 was raised to 14.3%. So far, however, only 2.8% of the target has been achieved.

Earlier, in 2010, the Lee Myung-bak administration called for investing KRW 10.2 trillion in the southwest coast by 2020 to build a 2.5 GW wind farm and "become one of the world's top three offshore wind powers." The Southwest Offshore Wind Farm is only now moving ahead with a 400 MW second-phase pilot project.

President Moon Jae-in emphasizes the importance of strengthening the competitiveness of offshore wind power and green energy at the “Korean New Deal, Green Energy in the Field - The Wind Blows” event held on July 17 at the offshore wind power demonstration complex off Buan County, North Jeolla Province. July 17, 2020. Yonhap News Agency

Successive administrations touted South Korea's ambition to become an "offshore wind power," but failed to bridge the gap between aspiration and reality, and their plans ultimately fizzled out. Samsung Heavy Industries, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and others once entered the wind power business in large numbers, but most withdrew as projects stagnated. Today, only Doosan Enerbility remains in the wind turbine business.

Expectations for offshore wind rose when the Lee Jae-myung administration, which has pledged to expand renewable energy, took office. In February 2025, the Special Act on Offshore Wind Power passed the National Assembly; it took effect on March 26, 2026. The government, however, has instead lowered its targets.

The government plans to increase renewable energy capacity to 100 GW by 2030, of which 87 GW will be solar power. Onshore wind will account for 6 GW, while offshore wind will account for just 3 GW. The 2030 offshore wind deployment target, including projects completed or under construction, is 10.5 GW. That is down from the 14.3 GW set out in the 10th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, reflecting the various practical obstacles.

President Lee Jae-myung delivers closing remarks at a public briefing on the Korean Green Transformation (K-GX) strategy at a conference hall in Seoul on Oct. 7, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

The government's vision for the wind power industry has steadily diminished, from "one of the world's top three offshore wind powers" under the Lee Myung-bak administration to "one of the world's top five offshore wind powers" under the Moon Jae-in administration. In its Korean Green Transformation (K-GX) strategy, announced on October 7, the Lee Jae-myung administration said it would foster wind power as one of the "10 flagship green industries." For offshore wind, it set a target of reaching 4 GW in annual supply capacity by 2030 and "becoming a Northeast Asian offshore wind hub" by 2035.

Analysts in the energy industry say the government's renewable energy policy is focused on solar power. Offshore wind projects can take up to 10 years, from site development to completion. Solar power, by comparison, can be expanded quickly.

The government therefore has little choice but to focus on solar power if it wants to achieve visible results during its term. Nevertheless, some say the government needs to maintain long-term, sustained support for the wind power industry, whose domestic industrial ecosystem is more developed than that of solar power.

Offshore wind: The conditions are in place, but...

Wind power has a higher capacity factor than solar power, giving it the advantage of producing renewable electricity more consistently. Offshore wind in South Korea has a capacity factor of about 30%, while solar power's is around 15%.

Offshore wind also has an advantage in expanding renewable energy because large-scale wind farms can be built. In the first half of 2026, offshore wind projects with capacities of more than 500 MW were selected in a competitive bidding round: the 504 MW Haesong 3 Offshore Wind Farm and the 532 MW Haeuri 2 Offshore Wind Farm. A 500 MW project is comparable in scale to a single liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant.

Building large solar power plants on land at once is difficult because of the challenge of securing sites. South Korea's largest single-site solar project is the Haenam Renewable Energy Complex Solar Power Project, which is scheduled to reach 400 MW by 2028. It will be built on a 4.79 million-square-meter site, 1.65 times the size of Yeouido.

South Korea, surrounded by water on three sides, also has abundant potential for offshore wind farms. According to the Renewable Energy White Paper published by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Energy Agency, South Korea's technical offshore wind potential was estimated at 367 GW as of 2022.

South Korea has a well-developed industrial ecosystem for offshore wind, backed by strong heavy industry, shipbuilding, and plant engineering sectors. The Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning estimates that South Korea's technological self-sufficiency for offshore wind turbines and fixed-bottom foundations is around 90%. However, its self-sufficiency in wind power systems, including turbines and blades, is 70%, lagging behind advanced countries.

Although the conditions for offshore wind are in place, actual deployment remains slow. According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, as of February 2026, offshore wind projects with a combined capacity of 34.3 GW had received power generation permits in South Korea. But deployed capacity totaled just 0.36 GW, or 1% of the total.

Why is offshore wind taking so long?

Offshore wind development in South Korea has been held back by a complex mix of factors, including low community acceptance, complicated permitting procedures, inadequate infrastructure and supply chains, and low profitability relative to high development costs.

Until the Special Act on Offshore Wind Power took effect in March 2026, building an offshore wind farm required 42 permits and approvals under 28 laws. These included the Electricity Business Act, the Public Waters Management and Reclamation Act, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, and the Marine Environment Management Act. Developers had to deal with as many as 10 government agencies, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, regional port authorities, and the Ministry of National Defense, in addition to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Each developer had to handle all of these matters on its own. In particular, opposition and complaints from local residents made it difficult to obtain approval from central and local governments. Developers had to assess potential impacts on residents and consult with them.

Offshore wind construction requires installation ports and vessels. Offshore wind turbines, blades, towers, and other structures weigh hundreds of tonnes, so specialized ports capable of handling heavy loads are needed. Mokpo New Port is currently the only such port in South Korea. The country has only two wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs): Hyundai Frontier and Hansan No. 1.

The installation vessel Hyundai Frontier is building the Jeonnam Offshore Wind Farm.

One particular challenge for offshore wind is financing. Building an offshore wind farm costs trillions of won. Construction costs are generally estimated at KRW 50 billion to KRW 90 billion per 10 MW.

Offshore wind developers raise funds through project financing (PF). Financial institutions assess project profitability before deciding whether to participate. But, as noted above, uncertainty is high in domestic offshore wind projects, including the risk of construction delays, making investors reluctant to commit. If a project fails to secure financing, construction cannot even begin.

Can the Offshore Wind Act solve everything?

The National Assembly and the government drafted the Special Act on Offshore Wind Power, also known as the Offshore Wind Act, to address complicated permitting procedures, which had been the biggest obstacle to expanding offshore wind. A key feature of the law is that the government takes responsibility for tasks previously borne by individual developers, from installing wind measurement equipment and developing sites to negotiating with residents and obtaining permits.

Previously, developers had to identify and develop sites themselves. Going forward, the government will shift to a "planned site" approach, in which it takes the lead in identifying suitable locations. The government will assess wind conditions, fishing activities, the marine environment, maritime traffic, impacts on military operations, and power grid capacity to designate preliminary zones and development zones. Local governments will form public-private consultative committees involving residents and fishers and develop compensation plans to secure community acceptance.

After a development zone is designated, a developer will be selected through competitive bidding. Once the government approves the implementation plan submitted by the developer, it will be deemed to have obtained the 42 permits and approvals required under 28 laws. In other words, developers will no longer have to visit administrative agencies one by one.

A control tower overseeing offshore wind projects has also been established. The government created the Offshore Wind Power Committee under the prime minister to coordinate differences among ministries and deliberate and decide on key policies for the planned-site process, including the designation of preliminary and development zones. The committee held its first meeting on September 2 and agreed to secure sites totaling 25 GW and designate preliminary zones by 2031.

The government has also formed the Offshore Wind Power Promotion Task Force to oversee practical work throughout the offshore wind development process. The task force will provide developers with one-stop support for permitting procedures.

The government expects that, after the Offshore Wind Act takes effect, the time needed to build an offshore wind farm can be cut from about 10 years to around six. Streamlining the permitting process can accelerate deployment. Shortening construction timelines can reduce costs and, in turn, lower the cost of offshore wind power. This could change the perception that "renewable energy is expensive."

The government aims to reduce the cost of offshore wind power from KRW 300-320 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2025 to below KRW 250 by 2030 and below KRW 150 by 2035.

Despite the implementation of the Offshore Wind Act, challenges remain. One is how to handle projects that received power generation permits and were already underway before the law took effect. The government plans to set criteria and give existing developers the option to join the special act's framework if they meet those criteria.

It is also unclear whether public-private consultative committees formed to secure community acceptance will be able to fulfill their role. The committees are expected to consist mainly of local government officials and private-sector members, and will discuss sharing benefits with residents and giving back to local communities. Some are concerned that discussions could stall if consultations with residents are left solely to local governments.

What about infrastructure and supply chains?

Some challenges cannot be solved by the special act alone: inadequate infrastructure, including installation ports and vessels. No matter how quickly the government identifies sites and selects developers, projects will have to wait if there are not enough ports and vessels. Many warn that shortages of infrastructure and supply chains, which have received less attention while projects were delayed by permitting procedures, will become bottlenecks to offshore wind expansion.

In response, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the 4th Amendment to the National Port Basic Plan (2026-2030) in July. It added two berths at Mokpo Port and designated Gunsan, Incheon, Ulsan, and Taean ports as offshore wind support ports. Ulsan Port is planned to support floating offshore wind projects.

The government also plans to encourage private and public investment in installation vessels and secure at least four 15 MW-class vessels by 2030. In connection with this plan, Hanwha Ocean is building a 15 MW-class installation vessel for deployment at the Shinan-Uei Offshore Wind Farm in 2028.

Developing competitive domestic wind turbines remains a challenge for expanding the local supply chain. South Korean turbines have been commercialized up to 8 MW, while overseas manufacturers have reached 15 MW. Doosan Enerbility and Unison are demonstrating 10 MW-class turbines. Domestic companies are developing 15 MW-class turbines through licensing agreements with overseas companies. The government is pushing to localize large 20 MW-class turbines, skipping 15 MW turbines, whose commercialization is already behind schedule.

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