The law is in force. The lines are not.
On 26 March 2026 the Act on the Promotion of Offshore Wind Deployment and Industrial Development took effect. Under it the government designates the sea area first and carries out the survey work, local government secures community acceptance, and a developer selected by auction then builds inside that area. This is the planned siting regime, and its purpose is to compress a permitting process that has taken more than seven years into thirty-one months.
That cleared one of the largest obstacles in Korean offshore wind. One question remains. When the turbines turn and the electricity is produced, where is it supposed to go?
On paper the preparation looks ample. The government has designated ten cluster zones totalling 14.4 GW. The 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand sets a 2030 offshore wind target of 10.5 GW and a 2035 target of 25 GW. What is actually turning today is 0.35 GW.
| Item | Capacity | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Designated cluster zones | 14.4 GW | As at March 2026, ten zones |
| 2030 deployment target | 10.5 GW | 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand |
| 2035 deployment target | 25 GW | 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand |
| In commercial operation | 0.35 GW | End of 2025 |
Note. After the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment designated seven further zones on 15 March 2026 the total stood at nine schemes and roughly 13 GW. Taean at 1.4 GW brought it to ten zones and 14.4 GW. The figure includes the Jeonbuk southwest pilot zone at 0.4 GW and the diffusion zone at 1.0 GW. Source=KWI cluster zone status report, 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand
14.4 GW is designated. 0.35 GW is turning. That gap is not a rounding error.
