Jeju Province has launched a collaborative framework involving related agencies and experts to resolve major challenges such as power grid connection and licensing, and to accelerate the pace of offshore wind projects.
On October 6, 2026, Jeju Province established the Jeju Offshore Wind Promotion Support Unit at the provincial government office and held its first meeting.
Four offshore wind projects under way
Currently, four projects are being pursued in Jeju: the Chuja-do offshore wind project, the Handong and Pyeongdae offshore wind project, the Tamra offshore wind expansion, and the Western offshore wind project.
The Chuja-do offshore wind project involves developing a 2.37 GW (2,370 MW) power generation facility in waters 10 to 30 kilometers west and 13 to 50 kilometers east of Chuja-do. The total project cost is estimated at approximately 24 trillion won.
The Handong and Pyeongdae offshore wind project is Jeju's first publicly led community participation-type offshore wind project, developing a power generation facility in waters off Handong-ri and Pyeongdae-ri in Gujwa-eup, Jeju City. EWP (Korea East-West Power) serves as the lead developer, with Jeju Energy Corporation and others participating. The generation capacity presented in recent investment disclosures is 110 MW.
The Tamra offshore wind expansion adds 72 MW to the existing 30 MW power generation facility operating off Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City. It will add nine 8 MW generators to the existing ten 3 MW generators, increasing total generation capacity to 102 MW.
The Western offshore wind project involves developing a 181 MW power generation facility in waters off Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City. Jeju Energy Corporation is pursuing consortium formation to participate in the project using a public-led 2.0 approach.
Licensing and grid connection challenges
Among these, the Chuja-do offshore wind and Western offshore wind projects saw their private developer recruitment fail. The Handong and Pyeongdae offshore wind and Tamra offshore wind expansion projects are undergoing licensing procedures.
Offshore wind projects involve licensing under multiple laws and coordination with related agencies, with numerous challenges to resolve at each project stage including grid connection, environmental concerns, and community engagement.
The Promotion Support Unit will take on the role of comprehensively discussing and coordinating these issues.
The unit is composed of 17 members across five fields: overall management and project management, marine and environment, communication and legal and regulatory affairs, grid and technology, and industry and external cooperation, with Lee Chang-heum, Vice Governor for Climate Economy of Jeju Province, serving as head.
Participants include Jeju Province, Jeju Energy Corporation, KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation), KPX (Korea Power Exchange), Jeju National University, the Korea Institute of Energy Research, and industry stakeholders in the wind power sector.
At the first meeting, participants shared roles and collaboration frameworks by field and discussed major challenges and response directions for Jeju's offshore wind projects.
Going forward, the support unit will review community acceptance and obstacles in the project implementation process, and identify regulatory improvement tasks related to licensing.
Governor Wi Seong-gon said, "I ask all experts to join forces so that the Chuja-do offshore wind project's connection to the national grid can be reflected in the 12th Basic Plan on Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand. Let us pool our capabilities to make Jeju's offshore wind projects succeed and realize the climate economy capital in substance."
Original Korean article: News1
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
