Original Korean article: 이코노미톡뉴스
Korea's offshore wind sector is breaking through a multi-year construction bottleneck in 2026, with three major projects now entering the active construction phase. The Sinan-Ui project (390MW), Nakwol in Yeonggwang (364.8MW), and Hallim in Jeju (100MW) represent a significant turning point for the industry after years of delays in project initiation.
The gap between licensed capacity and actual operational capacity remains substantial. While South Korea has 33.8GW of licensed offshore wind capacity nationwide, only 0.35GW has achieved commercial operation to date. This disparity reflects the challenges the industry has faced, with zero new construction starts recorded during 2022-2023 due to financing difficulties, complex permitting procedures, and insufficient infrastructure.
The government has established an ambitious roadmap to accelerate offshore wind development. By streamlining permitting procedures and expanding port, vessel, and grid infrastructure, South Korea aims to achieve 25GW or more of operational capacity by 2035. These infrastructure improvements are critical to supporting the increased number of projects expected to transition from planning to construction phases in the coming years.
The breakthrough in 2026 signals a potential inflection point for Korea's offshore wind industry, as the three major projects moving into construction demonstrate that the sector can overcome previous bottlenecks. Success in completing these flagship projects could pave the way for accelerated development of the remaining licensed capacity and help South Korea meet its renewable energy targets.
