Planning Report: Why Offshore Wind Power?…A Test Case for South Korea's Energy Transition
"Is offshore wind power a choice or a necessity?"
As climate crisis and energy security have emerged as national survival strategies, South Korea's energy policy is undergoing a massive transformation. Expanding renewable energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and achieve carbon neutrality is no longer merely an environmental policy but has become a core task of national economic and industrial strategy.
Within this context, the government has positioned offshore wind power as a key pillar of future electricity supply. It has presented a blueprint to expand domestic offshore wind power from its current commercial operation capacity of 0.35GW to 10.5GW by 2030 and to 25GW by 2035. This means not simply increasing power generation facilities but establishing a new industrial ecosystem that includes ports, installation vessels, and maintenance industries.
However, the policy to expand offshore wind power faces significant challenges from the outset. Two major obstacles stand in the way: economic viability and community acceptance.
Why Offshore Wind Power Is Needed
The government's push to expand offshore wind power is not solely because it is environmentally friendly.
South Korea imports most of its energy from abroad. Whenever international conditions become unstable, electricity rates and industrial competitiveness are shaken. Renewable energy is evaluated as the most realistic alternative for securing energy independence.
Offshore wind power in particular benefits from stronger and more consistent winds than onshore locations. It enables high generation efficiency and large-scale complex development, making stable power production possible. It can also relatively overcome the limitation of solar power, which stops generating at night.
The government believes that by combining this with the competitiveness of South Korea's domestic shipbuilding and marine plant industries, it can be cultivated as a new engine for national growth. This is because not only wind turbine manufacturing but also related industries such as installation vessels, offshore cranes, transmission networks, maintenance services, and port development can grow together.
In fact, the government is pursuing comprehensive measures to foster the offshore wind power industry, including port expansion, securing dedicated installation vessels, and financial support.
Economic Viability Debate…"Expensive but Looking to the Future"
Debate over the economic viability of offshore wind power expansion continues.
In a recent presidential briefing, the question was raised: "Why expand offshore wind power when its generation cost per unit is higher than solar power?"
Current target generation costs are presented as follows: solar power at 100 won or less per kWh, nuclear power at approximately 40 to 50 won, onshore wind power at approximately 250 won, and offshore wind power at approximately 250 won by 2030 and 150 won or less by 2035.
In response, the government projects that while initial investment costs are currently high, as facility scale increases and the industry grows, generation costs will continue to decline.
The government argues that if large-scale offshore wind complexes are developed as in European examples, economies of scale will take effect and sufficient competitiveness can be secured through localization of equipment and technological advancement.
Ultimately, the government places greater significance on future industrial competitiveness than on current costs.
The World Is Already Turning to the Sea
Offshore wind power is the fastest-growing sector in the global energy market.
According to government analysis, the global offshore wind market is projected to expand more than fivefold from 83GW in 2024 to 441GW in 2034.
European countries including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands have already made offshore wind power central to their national power grids, while the United States, Japan, and Taiwan continue large-scale investments.
However, despite possessing excellent offshore wind resources, South Korea faces a very slow adoption rate due to approval procedures, community conflicts, and insufficient infrastructure.
To address these issues, the government is pursuing institutional improvements through the Special Act on the Promotion of Offshore Wind Power Deployment and the Development of Related Industries and a whole-of-government task force.
Offshore Wind Power Is an Industry, Not Just a Power Plant
Another reason offshore wind power attracts attention is its industrial ripple effects.
To install a single wind turbine, numerous industries grow together: ports, shipbuilding technology, marine plants, large cranes, specialized vessels, submarine cables, maintenance services, and professional workforce development.
In a recent analysis released by Incheon, if an offshore wind project of 3.4GW scale is pursued, it could generate 48,000 jobs and 44 trillion won in production-inducing effects. Additionally, analysis showed that if community participation-type projects are introduced, annual community income generation of 193 billion won is possible.
This means it is not simply a power generation project but an industrial policy that transforms regional economies.
The Success of Offshore Wind Power Depends on Communities
However, no matter how good a policy is, it cannot succeed without the consent of local society.
The biggest problem facing South Korea's offshore wind projects is community acceptance.
Fishermen are concerned about fishing ground reduction and ecosystem damage, while developers emphasize carbon neutrality and energy transition. The government, recognizing this conflict, has recently presented community participation-based benefit-sharing schemes as a core policy. This approach returns part of power generation revenues to residents and allows them to participate directly in investment and decision-making.
The government has also begun research projects to institutionalize this as a standard model.
The Question Posed by Tongyeong
The waters off Yokji-do in Tongyeong are now a microcosm of South Korea's offshore wind power policy.
The nation seeks to expand offshore wind power for carbon neutrality, while fishermen seek to protect the golden fishing grounds that are their livelihood. Neither side is wrong.
The problem is not offshore wind power itself but the method of project implementation.
Hallim in Jeju and Sinan in South Jeolla Province demonstrate that development excluding residents creates conflict, but projects where residents are stakeholders can become new sources of regional income.
This planning report begins from precisely this question.
Is offshore wind power truly a project that takes away Tongyeong's sea, or is it a new industry that creates Tongyeong's future?
To find that answer, the next installment will examine Sinan's solar income and Buan's wind income, highlighting a new path for sharing the value of renewable energy with residents.
Original Korean article: Tongyeong Newspaper
