Tracking Trends for Offshore Wind Energy Industries and Infrastructures in the South Korea: Focused on the Jeonnam Shinan 8.2GW and Ulsan 6GW Offshore Wind Farm Projects

Abstract

With the international trend of promoting eco-friendly renewable energy for carbon neutrality and the Paris Agreement, South Korea is focusing its national energy mix on renewable energy. Especially, offshore wind energy will be expanded a total power capacity of 12 GW by 2030, which is expected to become South Korea’s most important energy source and industrial dynamic force in the future. With the support of the Korean government, many domestic and foreign developers are taking the lead in developing fixed/floating offshore wind energy projects and O&M technology. Through this chapter, we would like to introduce the current status of offshore wind energy in the South Korea, support policies, infrastructure, and issues up to the first quarter of 2022.

1. Introduction

Offshore wind energy is a representative renewable energy source that uses the kinetic energy of the offshore wind to produce electricity [1, 2]. It is a climate change response technology. Offshore wind energy is a representative climate change response technology that is abundant, continuously renewable, distributed over a wide area, and does not emit greenhouse gases during operation [2]. Therefore, offshore wind energy is the center of global energy trends, including South Korea, and is a major energy source for replacing fossil energy as the core of the energy transition policy [3, 4, 5].

South Korea had an early interest in offshore wind power based on the world’s best shipbuilding and offshore plant technology, but it was not easily pursued due to the lack of professional manpower, infrastructure, and opposition from environmental groups and fishermen [6, 7]. In recent years, the company is focusing on creating an ecosystem for the offshore wind energy market by shifting from the existing top-down unilateral government-led method to a bottom-up-type growth model based on public-private partnerships. In addition, in accordance with the analysis that large-scale project-oriented supply expansion is necessary to achieve the 12GW target of offshore wind power by 2030, ultra-scale base projects are being carried out in Jeonbuk (8.7GW), Shinan (8.2GW), Ulsan (6GW), and Chungnam (4GW).

In particular, the Shinan 8.2GW project, the world’s largest offshore wind farm in a single region, was promoted as a core energy policy by the previous government, and the new government that was just launched in April 2022 announced that it would continue to push forward as long as there are no major problems. Ulsan, belongs to the eastern sea of South Korea, and the eastern sea is very deep, so floating offshore wind projects are being intensively promoted [8, 9]. In general, when the water depth exceeds 50 m, the economical efficiency decreases because the size of the substructure supporting the turbine must be increased [10]. Therefore, in the deep water area, floating offshore wind projects that floats the wind turbine on the water are promoted. A comparison of fixed and floating offshore wind power is shown in Table 1. In Ulsan, global companies such as Equinor, Shell-CoensHexicon, CIP/COP, GIG, and RWE are developing or planning to participate in the floating offshore wind project.

Type		Positive	Negative
Onshore Wind Power		Short Construction Period Low Price for Installation Easy Maintenance	Noise, Transport, Environment, Complaints
Offshore Wind Power	Bottom-Fixed type	Easy for Installation Low Price for Maintenance Can be Large-scale	Damage to Fishing and Coast Ecosystem High Price for Installation
	Floating type	Less fishing because it is far from coast Can be Large-scale	High Price for Grid and Maintenance, Difficult to Install at exceed 100 m water depth

Table 1.

Comparison of advantages/disadvantages of each wind farm method.

As mentioned above, South Korea is being evaluated as a land of opportunity to establish a very good partnership with domestic and foreign offshore wind project developers and wind farm operators. In this chapter, we aim to help domestic and foreign developers and research institutes to become more interested in and obtain information about South Korea’s offshore wind energy. The chapter structure is as follows.

• Offshore Wind Energy Policies and Implementation Status in the South Korea

• Post EBL Offshore Wind Farm Projects in the South Korea

• Offshore Wind Farm Support Ports and Hinterlands

In the first subsection, it contains contents to introduce the government’s policies and current status related to offshore wind energy in South Korea. In the second section, we introduce the status of acquisition of energy business licenses (EBL) for offshore wind power projects in South Korea as of the first quarter of 2022. Next, we introduce the offshore wind power clusters and hinterlands selected by the West Sea/South Sea/East Sea region of Korea.

2. Offshore wind energy policies and implementation status in the South Korea

Although Korea has a high proportion of carbon-emitting industries and a high dependence on trade with overseas, the pace of change in energy transition is rather slow [11]. In the ‘Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan’ (2017.12.), Korean government announced the goal of achieving 20% of the renewable energy generation by 2030 [1]. Among renewable energies, it is announced a power generation plan (2020.07.) to complete 12GW offshore wind power capacity by 2030 [1]. Among local governments, Ulsan City, in particular, has set a goal of creating a 6GW large-scale floating offshore wind farm by 2030, and major overseas developers are participating in the projects.

In the detailed section below, we will introduce the roadmap for Korea’s offshore wind power and introduce the most representative offshore wind power projects, the Shinan 8.2GW offshore wind power project and Ulsan 6GW floating offshore wind power project.

2.1 Offshore wind power roadmap in the South Korea

Korea’s offshore wind power roadmap is based on the Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan mentioned above. The Renewable Energy 3020 Plan means that Korea plans to build a total of 63.8 GW of renewable energy facilities to increase the proportion of renewable energy generation to 20% by 2030. The government promoted large-scale national projects to increase new and renewable energy power generation facilities, and at the same time introduced a local government-led planned location system for the participation of many people [12, 13]. This is a system to encourage resident participation in renewable energy projects and to share profits. In addition, the Korean government is supporting companies in various ways to improve the supply conditions for renewable energy and to foster a new energy industry. Figure 1 shows the roadmap for offshore wind power in Korea.

Figure 1.

Offshore wind projects roadmap in South Korea.

The reason that Korea’s offshore wind power development has been limited and slow is because there were limitations in four stages. This means that special difficulties existed in each of the stages of site development, resident acceptability, licensing, and project implementation [14, 15, 16].

First of all, in the site development stage, problems sometimes occurred in the process of site selection, meteorological mast or LiDAR installation, and acquiring energy business license. Some developers neglected their responsibilities in the process of conducting a wind resource assessment, investing the fishery situation, and prior consultation with residents, and poor preparation led to a slump in the business. In addition, some developers sold energy business licenses to other developers after occupying a project site, which had an impact on the rapid spread of negative perception among residents in the area [3]. These negative perceptions also hindered the good project developers around them.

The second is the problem in the stage of accepting residents. In South Korea, there is a structure in which project developers must independently achieve resident acceptability, but in most cases, there is a large difference in position between project developers and residents. This is because, while residents think that developers neglect their fishing damages, developers think that residents make excessive demands other than legal compensation for damage. In particular, the institutional support mechanism of the state to secure resident acceptance is insufficient, and the government has not intervened in the offshore wind power project because it is a privately-led project, resulting in the sluggishness of the project being neglected for a long time.

The third is the licensing issue. This is because, in the case of civil complaints such as resident acceptability or environmental issues, it is impossible to obtain licenses and permits. Local governments, which are the main licensing authority, cannot actively stand on the side of project developers and ignore residents.

Lastly, there is a problem in the project promotion stage. In the meantime, the formation of the initial domestic market was delayed because it took too long and cost to secure residents’ acceptance for offshore wind farm. As a result, a number of machinery/shipbuilding companies withdrew from the offshore wind power projects, which resulted in project developers ignoring domestic wind power companies whose technological development was sluggish.

Accordingly, in July 2020, the Korean government announced an offshore wind power roadmap that could coexist with residents and coexist with the fishery industry through consultation with various ministries. It introduced a total of three initiatives and announced that it would create a 12GW offshore wind farm and create about 87,000 jobs. The three initiatives are as follows.

1. Government-led project discovery and simplification of licensing.

2. Securing resident acceptance and strengthening the environment.

3. Reinforcement of industrial competitiveness in connection with large-scale projects.

In the first implementation plan, the government produces a constraint map for offshore wind farm to produce a digital map for public web service. Through this, areas with good business potential and little damage to fishing are selected and developed as offshore wind power consideration zones under the government. In this process, the government improves the offshore wind power licensing process to support rapid project development, and establishes an integrated licensing organization such as One Stop Shop in Denmark [17].

The second is to introduce a system that can secure resident acceptability and minimize environmental damage. Provide reasonable compensation to the residents of the area around the offshore wind farm, and promote a project that guarantees mid- to long-term income through the participation of the residents. The government will provide guidelines to ensure fishing activities in the vicinity of offshore wind farms and to share business profits. In the process of constructing an offshore wind farm, it must be applied construction methods and products that can minimize environmental damage, and conduct environmental impact analysis by obligating marine environment monitoring. In addition, regulations will be prepared for project developers to deposit a guarantee to restore the marine environment to its original state after the completion of the project.

Lastly, large-scale projects will be prioritized to revitalize the offshore wind energy market, and KEPCO will build a joint connection (Collector bus) facility [18]. The government supports the strengthening of domestic industrial competitiveness, and prepares a roadmap not only for R&D but also for expanding infrastructure such as hinterland ports and wind turbine components test beds [18]. The above three items are made up of several detailed plans and are being pursued sequentially until 2025.

2.2 Shinan 8.2GW offshore wind farm project

Jeollanam-do (Jeonnam) is a metropolitan autonomous region in the southwest of Korea. Jeollanam-do has a goal of building an 8.2GW offshore wind farm in the Shinan region as a core policy of the “Jeonnam Blue Economy”, and the national and local governments are making generous investments to create an offshore wind power cluster in the long term. 48.5 trillion won ($38 billion) will be invested over 10 years from 2020 to 2030 [2]. Projects such as the creation of offshore wind farm, the construction of a wind turbine production and assembly complex, the support hinterland, and the construction of transmission lines are carried out in stages. In particular, 2.3 trillion won ($1.8 billion) (investment by KEPCO and power generation companies) will be invested in constructing the transmission line for infrastructure construction, and 218 billion won ($170 million) (Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries) will be invested in the development of the Mokpo New Port [4, 7].

The Shinan offshore wind farm project is a key project in the government’s energy transition policy, such as ‘2050 carbon neutrality’ and ‘Korean version of the Green New Deal’. The southwest region of Jeollanam-do has excellent potential offshore wind energy and is evaluated as an optimal location for a large-scale offshore wind farm due to its high linkage with shipbuilding and steel, the main industries. In addition, it is revitalizing the local economy by creating large-scale jobs and creating an offshore wind power industry ecosystem with a profit-sharing type win-win job model in which labor, management and the civil government participate together [19]. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Jeonnam Development Corporation, SK E&S, and Hanwha E&C, and many power generation companies are investing in the offshore wind power clusters such as Shinan-Aphae Industrial Complex, Daeyang General Industrial Complex, Mokpo New Port, and Yeongam Daebul Industrial Complex. This is expected to create the wind power industry market and create 117,000 jobs.

The Sinan 8.2GW offshore wind power project is planned to be carried out sequentially in three phases by 2030. If completed, it can become the world’s largest single-region offshore wind farm, and the first phase is to build a 4.1GW wind farm from 2020 to 2025. 22 trillion won ($17 billion) is invested in the project, and 1500 new jobs are planned. KEPCO and its subsidiaries will create 1.8 GW, and private power companies will create 2.3 GW. The second phase includes a plan to build a wind farm with a capacity of 2.1 GW from 2022 to 2027, and the 2GW third phase is planning from 2024 to 2030 (Figure 2). The support port behind the Shinan 8.2GW project is the Mokpo New Port, which previously handled automobiles, containers, steel, and cement. However, some port areas are being remodeled to be used as piers exclusively for offshore wind power.

Figure 2.

Shinan 8.2GW project grid plan. The red dotted line and shades of pink mean Shinan region. Black, green, and brown colors represent offshore wind farm project phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and blue circles represent substations.

Based on the Mokpo New Port and the Daeyang industrial estate, an offshore wind power logistics platform and industrial platform are established to support offshore wind farms to be built in the far and near southwestern seas of Korea and to build an offshore wind farm support cluster. Local governments such as Shinan, Mokpo, Naju, Gwangju, and Yeonggwang form regional clusters to strengthen the competitiveness of the wind power industry at home and abroad and promote local job revitalization. More details will be introduced in Chapter 4.

2.3 Ulsan 6GW floating offshore wind farm project

The government has set a goal of procuring 20% of total power generation from renewable energy, including 12GW of offshore wind power by 2030. Considering that Korea’s offshore wind farms currently have an installed capacity of only about 0.1GW, this is a very ambitious goal, but with full support from the government, domestic and foreign investors are interested. Considering 12 GW capacity, it suggests that the role of floating offshore wind farm at depths of 50 m or more is very significant. South Korea has strong domestic manufacturing capabilities, including three turbine manufacturers (Doosan Enerbility, Unison, and Hyosung H&I). At the same time, the government is eager to use Ulsan’s shipbuilding industry and offshore plant industry as a new economic opportunity by merging it with the wind power industry to create jobs. In particular, Ulsan is recognized as an ideal hub for floating wind farm due to its excellent shipbuilding/plant industry infrastructure and proximity to deep sea areas, and the local government is also actively promoting the development of floating wind farms. There is also a strong political and public will to increase the share of renewable energy generation to reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, improve air quality and reduce emissions.

As part of the Ulsan Green New Deal project, Ulsan City announced that it would invest 36 trillion won ($28 billion) by 2030 through collaboration with domestic and foreign companies to create the world’s No. 1. Floating offshore wind farm. Ulsan has the advantage that it can be built using existing infrastructure by using the transmission and distribution grids of the Wolseong Saeul, Kori nuclear power plants and Ulsan coal power plants, and using the ‘Donghae-1 Gas Field’ as an offshore substation. The creation of the Ulsan floating offshore wind farm is expected to diversify large-scale electricity supply and demand such as Mipo Industrial Complex and Ulsan Port, which depended on nuclear power, and create 320,000 jobs. In addition, Ulsan City will lead the global floating offshore wind energy market based on this vision and create an ecosystem for the entire life cycle of green hydrogen production, transportation, storage and utilization utilizing offshore wind power. In addition, Ulsan suggested a direction to take off as a clean energy powerhouse by revitalizing the stagnant local economy by discovering businesses that link sea ranches and marine tourism along with the smooth transition of existing main industries. In particular, Ulsan City decided to use 20% of the electricity produced in the floating offshore wind farm to produce green hydrogen that does not emit carbon. In addition, nine industry-university-research consortiums will be formed to establish a 100 MW class green hydrogen production demonstration facility linked to floating offshore wind power.

Figure 3 and Table 2 introduce the current status of the floating offshore wind power project in Ulsan. In South Korea, the potential for wind resource is high, especially in the sea near Ulsan, where the water depth is more than 50 m. The average wind speed of this sea area where the projects are being conducted is lower than that of the North Sea, but as a result of floating LiDAR observations, it was confirmed that an average annual wind speed represents 8.8 m/s at 100 m height between 2020 and 2021 [20].

Figure 3.

Ulsan floating offshore wind power project status. Red: Shell-CoensHexicon, blue: CIP-SK E&S, Orange: GIG-Total energies, purple: KFWind, green: KNOC (Korea National oil Corporation), black: Equinor.

Developer	Project Name	Wind Farm Capacity [MW]	EBL
GIG/Total Energies	Gray Whale 1	504	○
	Gray Whale 2	504	○
	Gray Whale 3	504	○
Equinor	Firefly	804	○
Shell/CoensHexicon	Munmubaram 1	420	○
	Munmubaram 2	420	○
	Munmubaram 3	420	○
Korea Floating Wind; (KFWind)	KFWind	870	○
	East Blue Power	450	○
CIP	Haeuri 1	520	○
	Haeuri 2	525	×
	Haeuri 3	518	○
KNOC/KOEWP/Equinor	Donghae 1	200	○

Table 2.

Ulsan floating offshore wind power project status.

KNOC: Korea National Oil Corporation, KOEWP: Korea East–West Power.

As of April 2022, Ulsan’s floating offshore wind farm project post-licensed capacity is a total of 6.1GW, and all of them received permission from the government on condition of the construction of joint grid access facilities (Collector bus). For the Haeuri 2 project promoted by CIP, the results of the energy business license evaluation are expected in the first half of 2022. RWE and BayWa r.e. have also announced their intention to participate in the Ulsan floating wind project, and are planning to apply for an energy business license starting with a wind resource assessment.

3. Post EBL offshore wind farm projects in the South Korea

In order to conduct a power generation business in South Korea, an energy business license (EBL) must be obtained, and power generation facilities exceeding 3 MW capacity must obtain this license from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. Conditions for obtaining EBL include securing wind resource measurement data for one year at least, WRA (Wind Resource Assessment) reports, consent from residents, and a plan for grid connection to the power system. As of the end of April 2022, a total of 60 offshore wind farm projects (18.13GW) in South Korea have obtained EBLs and are operating or planned (Figure 4). More than 70% of these projects are concentrated in Jeonnam and Ulsan. The locations and information of the projects that have obtained the EBLs are shown in Table 3 and Figure 5.

Figure 4.

Current status of offshore wind farm projects obtained for EBLs. 60 projects with more than 18 GW are in operation or planned.

Sector	Capacity [MW]	No. of Projects
#1	1467	5
#2	2655	12
#3	2502	10
#4	4974	16
#5	6406	15
#6	130	2
Total	18,134	60

Table 3.

Capacity plan of offshore wind farm projects and number of projects by each sector.

Figure 5.

Detailed site location and planned capacity of EBL-acquired offshore wind farm projects for each sector.

There are 13 projects in Jeonnam that have applied for energy business licenses, but have withheld permission because they do not meet the required conditions. 3 projects in Goheung, 1 project in Wando, 6 projects in Yeosu, 1 project in Jangheung, and 2 projects in Jindo, with a total capacity of about 3.5 GW. Details of these projects cannot be disclosed, but the reasons for the suspension of EBL permits are found to be the failure to adequately solve the problem of resident acceptability, the lack of a grid connection plan, and the overlap with large shrimp farms or military operation zones. The project developers plan to re-apply for EBL by supplementing these issues.

Projects scheduled to start construction in the second half of 2022 are Jeju Hallim offshore wind farm (100 MW), Yeonggwang Nakwol offshore wind farm (354 MW), and Jeonnam offshore wind farm Phase 1 (99 MW). Shinan Ui offshore wind farm (396 MW), Wando Geumil offshore wind power Phases 1 and 2 (600 MW), and Anma offshore wind power Phases 1,2 (528 MW) also appear to be in the final stages of detailed design and wind turbine selection.

Korean offshore wind farm project developers include not only domestic companies such as Hyundai, SK, POSCO, and Hanwha, but also overseas global companies. Ørsted, Equinor, GIG, Total Energies, Shell, CIP, Northland Power, and Vena Energy have entered the Korean offshore wind power market early and are developing their business. In particular, some of these developers are securing competitiveness through joint development by establishing joint venture (JV) with other developers. They are still exploring suitable areas for offshore wind farm to develop additional business plans, and they plan to focus on floating LiDAR by advancing into more distant deep seas.

4. Offshore wind farm support ports and hinterlands

Numerous countries around the world operate offshore wind farms, and additional offshore wind farm projects are underway. This is possible only if there is a port where logistics related offshore wind power are transported and loaded, installation and maintenance vessels can freely enter and depart, and many supply chain companies can coexist [21, 22, 23, 24]. In other words, ports are an integral part of the offshore wind farm supply chain, serving as an interface between land-based and offshore activities [22]. In Europe, many countries share the offshore wind farm hub ports of major countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, but Korea cannot create such an environment. The conditions for creating an offshore wind farm support port are shown in Table 4, and a study is underway to select offshore wind farm support ports from among the existing ports in Korea that can fully satisfy these conditions.

These offshore wind farm support ports can be classified into three ports according to their roles. The first is a manufacturing port such as turbine manufacturing/logistics management, the second is a construction support port for the installation of an offshore wind farm, and the third is an O&M port for wind farm maintenance.

The first manufacturing port is commonly known as a staging or marshaling port, and in some ways it can also be viewed as the final station on a distributed production line that combines secondary components into sub-parts and performs various other finishing operations. Pre-assembly and pre-commissioning of the components (towers and nacelles) to minimize offshore operations are also carried out here.

The construction support port should be relatively close to the offshore wind farm sites in order to shorten the construction period and minimize restrictions from offshore environment changes [25]. This is to reduce the high cost of leasing special wind turbine installation vessels used to transport and install wind turbines and substructures and to maximize working days. In addition, a berth of sufficient length for a large installation vessel to berth should also be provided.

O&M (Operation and Maintenance) ports generally do not require heavy infrastructure due to the small size of the vessels, and generally the requirements are not very different from those of commercial fishing ports. The most important factor in selecting an O&M base port is the distance between the port and the offshore wind farm. It may be more effective if you plan to service several nearby offshore wind farms from one maintenance center.

It is desirable that an offshore wind farm hinterland cluster be formed centered on such a port, and the cluster is preferably composed of a parts production and assembly plant, a manpower training center, an R&D laboratory, a system monitoring center. In South Korea, as shown in Figure 6, a total of four ports were primarily selected and their suitability as an offshore wind farm support port is being judged. These are Incheon North Port, Gunsan Port, Mokpo New Port, and Ulsan New Port. As in other countries, the existing large commercial trading ports that managed automobiles, steel, cement, containers, etc. have many factors that are inappropriate to meet the rapidly changing demands of the offshore wind industry, so detailed analysis and improvement are required. These four ports also intend to change the existing logistics system to form a modified or expanded port.

Figure 6.

Commercial ports selected as a target area for an offshore wind farm support port.

4.1 Mokpo new port

Since this chapter focuses on offshore wind farm projects in Shinan and Ulsan, It will be taken a closer look at the Mokpo New Port (No. 3) and Ulsan New Port (No. 4). First of all, Mokpo New Port has almost been selected as a support port for the Shinan 8.2GW offshore wind farm, and since it is a port built on a rock rather than a landfill, it has a bearing capacity of several tens of tons [26]. It has the advantage of being close to the offshore wind farms to be built in the Southwest Sea, and as shown in Figure 7 and Table 5, there are many shipyards and industrial estates in the vicinity, so excellent infrastructure has been established.

Figure 7.

Current status of offshore wind farm support cluster in the vicinity of Mokpo new port aiming for Shinan 8.2GW offshore wind farm project.

Factor		Contents
Site Condition	Offshore Environment	Water depth
		No. of working days
	Adjacency	Distance between port and OWF
Industry Condition	Integration of Industries	Degree of industrial integration near the port
		Degree of promotion of R&D programs and manpower training
	Technical Skills	Degree of proprietary technology
		Technology level such as parts development
Economic Condition	Transport Volume	OWF projects demand
	Cost (Installation & Operation)	Degree of reduction in business costs
Policy Condition	Government Policies	Whether mid- to long-term related policies are established
		Direct and indirect financial support measures
Social Condition	Civil Complaint	Fishing rights, opposition from neighboring residents

Table 4.

General conditions for development and construction of ports supporting offshore wind farms.

Shape	Name	Type	Location	Role
Circle (Blue)	Mokpo New Port	Port	Mokpo	Support Port; (Assembly, Transportation, O&M)
Diamond	Hwa-won Shipbuilding Industrial Estate	Industrial Estate	Haenam	Substructure, Turbine, Tower, Blade
Square	Ap-hae Industrial Estate	Industrial Estate	Shinan	Elcetronic parts of wind turbines, O&M
Cross	Dae-Yang Industrial Estate	Industrial Estate	Mokpo	Elcetronic parts of wind turbines, R&D center
Triangle	Dae-bul /Yongdang Industrial Estate	Industrial Estate	Yeongam	Substructure, Mechanical system, Cable
Pentagon	Gwangyang Port	Port	Gwangyang	Substructure, Steel industry

Table 5.

Composition and role of offshore wind farm support cluster at the hinterland of Mokpo new port.

The Shinan offshore wind farm hinterland complex is being built around the nearby Mokpo New Port and Daeyang Industrial Estate. Mokpo New Port is creating conditions to be in charge of offshore wind turbine/blade/tower manufacturing and logistics and transportation by 2030. As shown in Figure 8, the berth of the WTIV (Wind Turbine Installation Vessel), the logistics loading yard, and the parts production line have already been planned. Meanwhile, the Daeyang Industrial Estate plans to build a convergence industrialization platform by attracting and moving in the wind turbine electric/electronic parts manufacturing and offshore wind energy R&D centers. In addition, Daebul Industrial Estate plans to contribute to the creation of offshore wind farms through the manufacturing of offshore wind turbine substructures and machinery through the technological prowess of the existing shipbuilding industrial estate and the attraction of new companies. In addition, the Aphae Industrial Estate of 100,000 m² will be built by 2025 to attract wind turbine electric/electronic component manufacturers.

Figure 8.

Mokpo new port offshore wind power wharf development plan.

4.2 Ulsan new port

As a policy, the target of the installed capacity of the Ulsan floating offshore wind farm project by 2030 was initially 6 GW. However, the target has already been achieved in terms of energy business license, and the industry wants to push forward by raising the final target to 9 GW. Ulsan City believes that to build a 9 GW floating offshore wind farm, a dedicated port and hinterland of at least 1 million m² is needed. As of the first quarter of 2022, it is in the initial review stage, but a review to expand the port by reclaiming the sea is in progress (Figure 9). However, the government does not take the lead, and the method of developing directly by the developer is being focused on. However, unlike Europe, where the shipbuilding industry has stagnated, Korea has an excellent shipbuilding and offshore plant industry and has a steady supply of ships until 2025, making it difficult to renovate and expand it as an offshore wind farm support port. If the private developer gives up the investment, there are many opinions that efforts should be made to reduce the risk as much as possible to the extent that the value of the site that has been built with great effort can plummet. As Ulsan City’s efforts are limited, it is suggested that support from the national level is needed. It is necessary to reflect the mid- to long-term possible part in the port development plan so that the floating offshore wind power industry takes root in Ulsan.

Figure 9.

Ulsan new port, which is being promoted as an exclusive port for Ulsan floating offshore wind farm projects.

5. Conclusions

Offshore wind energy is a main renewable energy source that is being promoted around the world, and is an important means of expanding eco-friendly energy and achieving sustainable energy source supply and demand policies. From the point of view of the national economy, the construction of large-scale offshore wind farms can contribute to economic revitalization and job creation. Also, in the mid- to long-term, it can lead to the revitalization of the offshore wind power industry, and can be a solution that can respond to global climate change.

In this study, Korea’s offshore wind power policies, industrial trends, and hinterland ports were briefly introduced. I wrote this chapter in the hope that many foreign project developers and researchers will pay more attention to and invest in Korea’s offshore wind power through the contents of this chapter.