South Korea marked a milestone in its efforts to join the growing list of countries around the world generating power from offshore wind farm installation. First power was generated from the country’s first commercial-scale wind farm, in a test phase, marked by a visit from the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to inspect the site and hail the industry’s achievement.
The project known as Jeonnam 1 is located off the southwest coast of Korea in a location northwest of Jaeun Island. It is a fixed-bottom offshore wind farm that when completed will generate 96MW and is viewed as a building block for South Korea’s large ambitions for offshore wind power.
Construction on Jeonnam 1 started in early 2023 and turbine installation started in September 2024. The project is being developed by Copenhagen Infrastructures and its Copenhagen Offshore Partners in partnership with South Korean conglomerate SK Innovation E&S. CIP highlights that it entered the South Korean market in 2018 due to its strong belief in the potential for the industry.
“First power from Jeonnam 1 is a landmark for CIP, our partners, and the offshore wind industry in South Korea,” said Thomas Wibe Poulsen, Partner in CIP.
SK highlights that the project is part of the larger regional plan for Korea with this district projected to ultimately have a capacity for 8.2 GW, which would make it the largest in the world. With the project moving into test operation, SK expects it will help to build support for private investment which will give further momentum to the development of the Jeonnam offshore wind farm complex.
Prime Minister Han stated during the visit to the site, “The activation of offshore wind power will solidify the foundation for energy security and serve as an opportunity for Jeonnam to emerge as a leading region in new and renewable energy.” The Prime Minister instructed the relevant ministries to continue providing close support.
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) in September mapped the next steps toward accelerating the development of the offshore wind sector. They selected an area near Incheon as the location for a three-phase offshore wind farm complex that will have a total capacity of 2 GW. The project is due to be in development until December 2026 and will require approximately KRW 8.9 billion in investment ($6 million) in its next phase. It also reported that the MunmuBaram Floating Offshore Wind Project (based in Ulsan, South Korea) had completed an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The government expects to auction 7 to 8 GW of capacity by 2026. Of that, 2.5 to 3 GW is projected for floating wind with the larger portion in fixed-bottom wind turbines. The country has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to reach that goal Korea has ambitious plans calling for 14.3 GW of installed capacity by 2030.
SK highlights that it has approximately 5 GW in the pipeline for development. It plans to expand by approximately 1 GW per year to reach 7 GW by 2025. In addition to Jeonnam 1, CIP has plans for Jeonnam 2 and Jeonnam 3 with a total capacity of 800MW, and the 1.5 GW Haewoori floating offshore wind project.
The timeline for commercial operations at Jeonnam 1 is targeting March 2025 reports SK Innovation E&S.
