Ørsted's Incheon offshore wind project backed by Dangjin port infrastructure

Original Korean article: Incheon Today

Danish state-owned offshore wind company Ørsted is pursuing the development of an offshore wind farm off the coast of Incheon, but the key supporting infrastructure for the construction phase—an installation and support port—is expected to be built in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province. Incheon's role is limited to "reviewing a maintenance port after completion."

Ørsted has already signed an agreement with Incheon City to foster offshore wind supply chain industries in the region. However, excluding Incheon from the location of the support port—where significant economic ripple effects are expected during the construction phase—is anticipated to spark controversy.

Ørsted and LX Sign MOU for Dangjin Port Installation and Support Facility

On the 20th, Ørsted signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LX International, a domestic trading company, titled "Exploring Cooperation Opportunities for Development and Utilization of Dangjin Port Offshore Wind Installation and Support Facility."

Ørsted's Incheon offshore wind project is being developed at a total capacity of 1.47 GW. It is divided into Incheon Offshore Wind 1 (870 MW) and Incheon Offshore Wind 2 (600 MW), and both have obtained power generation business permits. The environmental impact assessment main report has been submitted, and the company is communicating with relevant agencies while proceeding with licensing, basic design of the wind farm, and preparations for offshore wind bidding. Completion is expected in the early 2030s.

Dangjin Port as Equipment Storage and Assembly Hub; Incheon Port for Future Maintenance Review

Under this agreement, the two companies will jointly examine how to use the offshore wind installation and support port that LX International is developing in Dangjin as a hub for aggregating, storing, and assembling equipment necessary for Ørsted's Incheon offshore wind project construction. They will share information related to port demand for the Incheon offshore wind project and agreed to cooperate closely on port development and operation methods.

Although the project is named "Incheon Offshore Wind," the key infrastructure for the construction phase will be located in Dangjin. During the construction phase, the port logistics, related jobs, and regional industrial ripple effects generated by the equipment aggregation, storage, and assembly hub are likely to accrue to Dangjin. Meanwhile, the power generation facility itself will be built in waters approximately 70 kilometers off the Incheon coast.

However, Ørsted stated that "separate from the Dangjin offshore wind installation support port, we are reviewing port sites in the Incheon region to support the operation, maintenance, and repair of the offshore wind farm after project completion, and we are establishing concrete implementation foundations."

Ørsted Signs Supply Chain Industry Development MOU with Incheon, Then Turns to Dangjin

This Dangjin MOU conflicts with agreements Ørsted has previously made with Incheon City regarding regional cooperation.

On February 22, 2024, Ørsted signed a memorandum of understanding at its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark with Yoo Jeong-bok, then Mayor of Incheon, titled "Business Agreement for Incheon-Ørsted Offshore Wind Power Generation Project and Establishment of Offshore Wind Industry Foundation in Incheon Region."

At that meeting, Ørsted committed to creating an exemplary model of coexistence with local residents and actively working to foster offshore wind supply chain industries in Incheon. Incheon City promised administrative support including enhancing local acceptance, establishing offshore wind-related policies, and building infrastructure.

In May 2024, Ørsted signed a separate agreement with the Incheon Regional Council and pledged to explore ways to revitalize the economy through increased local employment and profit-sharing. On the same day, it also signed an MOU with Inha University for marine resource development and industry-academia-research cooperation.

In this manner, Ørsted has repeatedly publicly committed to Incheon over several years regarding supply chain industry development, profit-sharing, and job creation. However, with this Dangjin MOU directing the installation and support port—a key construction-phase infrastructure—away from Incheon to South Chungcheong Province, questions are being raised about how these past commitments to regional cooperation will actually be implemented.

Ørsted: "Dangjin Support Port Installation Not Confirmed; Incheon Also Under Discussion"

In response, an Ørsted Korea official stated, "This MOU does not confirm that a support port will be installed at Dangjin Port, but rather explores ways to do so in broad terms. Support port development is possible only when various conditions align, not simply based on location alone," and added, "We are continuing discussions with Incheon City and Incheon Port Authority regarding the establishment of an offshore wind support port."

Meanwhile, Ørsted is a global company in the offshore wind development, construction, and operation sectors, with South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia—major markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region—as core business areas. Based on 35 years of offshore wind experience, it has installed 10.2 GW of offshore wind capacity worldwide to date and is currently constructing 8.1 GW. Ørsted's headquarters is in Denmark, and approximately 7,700 employees work around the world.

KWI developer profile — Orsted

2 projects in Korea totalling 1,470 MW. Compiled from the KWI database. Not part of the source article.

Incheon 1 Offshore Wind — this article

Incheon 2 Offshore Wind — this article

Project data: KWI database — Electricity Business Licence records, EIA filings (ME2025C009, ME2025C010), Electricity Regulatory Commission minutes, and pre-EBL permit filings.