In the first half of 2026, five of nine projects were selected in the fixed-price contract competitive bidding for offshore wind. The selected capacity totals 1,786 megawatts (MW). Observers said that for the first time since the government introduced competitive bidding for fixed-price wind contracts in 2022, the bid ratio reached 2-to-1, delivering economies of scale alongside lower generation costs.
However, controversy has arisen after Hanbit Offshore Wind won a bid to procure turbines through UNISON, which has a license agreement with Germany's Vensys, whose largest shareholder is China's Goldwind. There are also projections that more companies will turn to Chinese supply chains in the offshore wind tenders slated for the second half of this year.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said the Korea Energy Agency (KEA) finalized the results of the first-half 2026 competitive bidding for fixed-price offshore wind contracts and notified each bidder individually.
Nine projects took part in the offshore wind tenders that closed in May: four fixed-bottom (1,598 MW), three floating (1,498 MW), and two public-led (560 MW). Of these, a total of 1,786 MW were ultimately selected: three fixed-bottom (1,094 MW), one floating (532 MW), and one public-led (160 MW).
According to the wind industry, the fixed-bottom winners were Guleopdo Offshore Wind (250 MW, waters near Guleopdo, Ongjin County, Incheon), Hanbit Offshore Wind (340 MW, waters near Anmado, Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla), and Haesong 3 Offshore Wind (504 MW, waters near Heuksando, Sinan County, South Jeolla). The floating winner was Haeuri 2 Offshore Wind (532 MW, waters east of Ulsan), and the public-led winner was Geumodo Offshore Wind (160 MW, waters near Geumodo, Yeosu, South Jeolla).
The ministry said it highly valued that competition intensified even though the price cap in the first-half offshore wind tenders fell about 3% from a year earlier. Looking at past offshore wind tenders, the bid ratio was 1.3-to-1 in 2022, rose slightly to 1.4-to-1 in 2023, then dropped to 1.2-to-1 in 2025. This time it was 2-to-1.
The ministry said, "Thanks to strong participation, more than 1.2 GW were selected in the fixed-bottom offshore wind institutional sector in just the first half, far exceeding last year's annual total," adding, "This will allow us to both lower prices and expand deployment."
◇ Ministry: "15 MW-class turbine technology transfer" vs. wind industry: "effectively using Chinese turbines"
Still, the government and the wind industry are split over how the first-half offshore wind tender results relate to expanding the domestic supply chain.
The ministry emphasized that the domestic supply chain will take the lead in substructures, power cables, installation and construction, and operations, excluding the turbines.
A ministry official said, "Bidders in this round presented plans for domestic supply chain participation in all areas except turbines," adding, "As the government has consistently strengthened non-price indicators such as industrial and economic impact, supply chains, and security in bid evaluations, developers have expanded use of domestic supply chains."
But controversy surrounds the turbines, which account for about 35% of total offshore wind expense. According to the wind industry, Hanbit Offshore Wind plans to supply 13.6 MW-class turbines through the domestic company UNISON.
UNISON does not have technology for turbines of 10 MW or higher. Through a license agreement with Germany's Vensys, UNISON plans to assemble and produce turbines at UNISON's Sacheon plant. The sticking point is that Vensys's largest shareholder is China's Goldwind.
Guleopdo Offshore Wind and Geumodo Offshore Wind will use 10 MW-class turbines made by Doosan Enerbility. Haesong 3 Offshore Wind and Haeuri 2 Offshore Wind will use Siemens turbines.
A wind industry source said, "Vensys is effectively a Chinese company because its largest shareholder is China's Goldwind," adding, "Under the pretext of technology transfer, simply producing Chinese turbines domestically has opened the door for them to be installed in Korean waters."
Another wind industry source said, "If security is supposed to matter, once Chinese-made turbines are permitted, there is no reason to use expensive European turbines like Siemens."
A ministry official said, "All projects that adopted 10 MW-class turbines were selected this time," adding, "For projects using 15 MW-class turbines, where Korea lacks homegrown technology, at minimum they submitted plans to produce domestically and also submitted technology transfer plans, not just simple assembly or contract manufacturing."
The government plans to strengthen post-award compliance checks so the domestic production, technology transfer, certification acquisition, and supply chain participation plans presented in this tender lead to actual implementation. For security-critical components such as turbines and control systems, it will work with relevant agencies to verify security.