South Korea has set out draft rules that would allow the government to pre-select offshore wind zones and slash permitting times by more than half, accelerating efforts to expand renewable energy and revive a sector long hampered by local opposition and slow approvals.
The country’s energy mix remains dominated by fossil fuels and nuclear power, with coal and gas together supplying more than 60 per cent of electricity generation. Renewables account for just over 8 per cent, and wind contributes only a small share, making offshore wind expansion central to Seoul’s plans to reduce emissions and ease dependence on imported fuels.
The enforcement decree and regulations, released for public consultation ahead of a new offshore wind special law taking effect in March, outline how authorities will identify suitable coastal waters and designate them as preliminary and later development zones, replacing a developer-led system that required companies to scout sites themselves and negotiate a complex series of permits.
Under the planned-site regime, prospective zones will be screened for wind resources, impacts on fisheries, maritime safety, ecological protection and national security, with disputed boundary waters between local governments explicitly excluded to avoid early conflict.
Only areas that pass marine environmental and economic feasibility assessments, including grid-connection prospects, will proceed to final designation.
The government expects the shift to cut average approval times from roughly 71 months to about 31 months, a move seen as crucial for meeting national clean-energy targets and stabilising the offshore wind supply chain.
The draft decree also establishes a high-level “Offshore Wind Power Committee,” including the heads of the National Intelligence Service and the Korea Coast Guard, to oversee major policy decisions and strengthen scrutiny of national security and maritime safety issues. A working-level committee will be empowered to handle technical matters more quickly.
To boost local support, the rules also create a legal basis for preferential financial assistance and project-participation opportunities for fishermen and residents, aiming to reduce community resistance that has stalled previous developments.
Developers in large-scale zones will be required to use shared grid-connection facilities, with the cost charged to participating companies, to streamline transmission upgrades.
The regulations further require the newly designated offshore wind agency to submit an annual performance report and business plan to the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment by 31 January, tightening oversight of project delivery.
The climate ministry said draft rules “remove uncertainties in offshore wind development and provide a foundation for rapid, systematic project execution”, adding that feedback from agencies and stakeholders would be incorporated before the law is implemented next year.
South Korea has pledged to install 14.3 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 but has so far connected only a small fraction of that capacity, well behind Taiwan, which has emerged as Asia’s leading offshore wind market outside China, and behind Japan. China remains by far the region’s dominant player, installing more offshore wind each year than the rest of the world combined.
