Ocean Winds JV plans 1.2GW offshore wind in South Korea

The Ocean Winds joint venture of EDP Renewables (EDPR) and Engie has announced plans for a 1.2GW offshore wind farm off South Korea, according to the country’s ministry of trade, industry and energy.

The $100 million wind farm would be built off Incheon, which borders the capital city Seoul in the north-west of the country.

Ocean Winds revealed plans for the project during the Green and Digital forum in Madrid, Spain, earlier this week, according to South Korean officials.

It is not clear when construction and commissioning are due to take place, whether the project will be built in stages, whether it will use bottom-fixed foundations or floating platforms, or whether Ocean Winds will develop it alone or take on a partner. Windpower Monthly has contacted Ocean Winds for comment.

South Korea was one of several target markets for the joint venture when the partnership was first announced.

Since forming the joint venture in July 2020, Ocean Winds has commissioned the WindFloat project off Portugal, announced plans for new projects off Greece, and was pre-qualified to bid for a 1GW project off Normandy, France.

Meanwhile, several developers have announced plans for large-scale offshore wind farms off South Korea, including EDPR and Aker Solutions, Equinor, TotalEnergies (then known as Total) and Green Investment Group, and Ørsted. Plans for an 8.2GW project off the south-west coast have also been announced.

South Korea aims to become one of the top five countries for offshore wind deployment by 2030, with a 16.5GW goal, its president, Moon Jae-in, has said.