Can 'Special Act' get South Korean offshore wind back on track?
Approval of the long-awaited bill comes at a time when Korea's 2030 goals for offshore wind are starting to slip out of sight
South Korea’s National Assembly has approved a Special Act on Offshore Wind — versions of which have been under debate in the country for the last seven years — offering the energy-starved nation a path to accelerating its planned build-out of renewable energy.
The Special Act, also known as the 'one stop shop' bill, proposes a government-led site development system as a radical departure from the 'open-door' developer-led model that kick-started Korea’s offshore wind sector.
South Korea had already introduced a system of competitive bidding for fixed-price contracts in 2022 with 3.4 GW selected since then, but overall progress has been slower than sought.
The country’s cumulative offshore wind capacity currently stands at just 300MW, noted Jang Daul, country manager with Ocean Energy Pathway, a non-profit organisation providing technical assistance to governments and stakeholders emerging offshore wind markets.
Daul suggested that many of the projects selected over the last three years still face “significant challenges”, meaning that South Korea may be short of time to achieve the administration’s target of reaching 14.3GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
However, the new law aims to accelerate offshore wind deployment by streamlining planning, approvals and permitting, starting with designation of planned offshore wind zones, taking into account optimal locations for better community acceptance and environmental safeguards.
Crucially, the bill proposes rationalising procedures that currently require engagement with scores of regulations across 10 ministries.
Seoul-based campaign group Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC) said the bill offers the promise of “significantly shortening the permitting process for offshore wind projects”.
“This means less bureaucracy, faster approvals, and a clearer path to scaling up offshore wind energy — a crucial move to reduce reliance on fossil fuels,” the group said.
Korea hopes that developing offshore wind will reduce its current heavy reliance on imported LNG.
Daul said the Special Act can reduce development timelines for future projects, but may have limited scope to boost progress toward the 2030 target.
He noted that slow progress in offshore wind development so far means renewable energy still accounts for just 9% of domestic electricity generation.
South Korea’s industrial base means the country is seen as well positioned to become a key supply chain country for the Asia-Pacific offshore wind markets, especially for cables, wind turbine foundations and towers, analysts agree.
In its statement, SFOC said the Special Act create a more stable environment for offshore wind expansion but the organisation said it plans to “closely monitor the development of the enforcement decree to help ensure the bill leads to meaningful change in practice.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) estimates South Korea's offshore wind potential at 624GW.
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