Building a single offshore wind farm in South Korea takes an average of more than nine years, nearly triple the three to four years typically required in China, a key manufacturing rival. The gap stems from how projects are developed: in China, local governments prepare the site before selecting a developer, while in Korea developers must handle everything from wind measurement to consultations with residents. The government has belatedly signaled plans to adopt a wind power district system similar to China's, but the first auction is not scheduled until 2029, prompting calls for measures to ease the burden on developers already working on projects.
An analysis by The Seoul Economic Daily of 13 large-scale offshore wind projects due for completion before 2030, based on data submitted by the Korea Power Exchange and domestic offshore wind developers, found that an average of 113 months elapsed between the initial power generation license and completion, the newspaper reported on the 16th. Construction itself required only 24.4 months, while administrative procedures such as environmental impact assessments and military operational reviews consumed 88.6 months. Factoring in that developers under the existing system had to measure wind conditions themselves for at least a year before obtaining a generation license, the actual project timeline far exceeds 10 years.
By contrast, four offshore wind projects completed in China last year took an average of just 41.3 months from developer selection to grid connection. Developers typically spend about a year preparing after being selected, then complete installation over two to three years. The timeline is possible because local governments take the lead in developing project sites, sparing developers the permitting burden.
"The government has signaled it will adopt a planned-site approach similar to China's, but it still has not disclosed where the sites will be or how large they will be," an offshore wind industry official said. "Since project duration is itself a cost, the government should also help minimize permitting for projects already under way."