The government conditionally designated seven sites, including Incheon, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla, as offshore wind concentration complexes to expand offshore wind power generation. However, some waters require a review of military operational feasibility, so the government plans to check within the year whether related consultations have been completed.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on the 15th that, following a review and resolution by the Renewable Energy Policy Deliberation Committee, it conditionally designated seven offshore wind projects applied for by five local governments—in Incheon; South Jeolla; North Jeolla; Boryung, South Chungcheong; and Gunsan, North Jeolla—as "renewable energy offshore wind concentration complexes." In the case of Sinan, South Jeolla, the designation expands an existing complex.
A renewable energy concentration complex is an area where local governments take the lead in identifying sites for power generation, secure local acceptance through a public-private consultative body involving local residents, fishers, and local governments, and then pursue renewable energy projects.
The latest designation centered on regions where offshore wind projects have proceeded step by step, reflecting local governments' efforts to identify sites and secure resident acceptance. The government expects this will expand the foundation of the offshore wind industry and help revitalize local economies.
However, some waters require additional reviews, including consultations on military operational feasibility. The government designated the complexes on the condition that consultations with relevant agencies proceed and necessary supplementary measures are implemented. It plans to check within the year whether the conditional items, including military consultations, have been carried out and decide whether to maintain the designation.
The government plans to continue related consultations in a way that maintains a balance between expanding offshore wind power generation and national security.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Special Act on the Promotion of Offshore Wind Supply and the Fostering of the Industry taking effect on the 26th, the government is also preparing an institutional foundation to push forward offshore wind projects.
Waters not designated as concentration complexes may later be designated as preliminary districts after going through site identification procedures under the special act. They can then be pursued as offshore wind power complexes through the procedure to designate power generation districts, and the concentration complexes designated this time may also later be incorporated as power generation districts.
Sim Jin-su, director of renewable energy policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said, "Many local governments have worked to identify sites and secure resident acceptance to expand offshore wind deployment," and added, "We will support smooth related consultations even after the designation of concentration complexes so that offshore wind projects can proceed stably."