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Issue Brief
2023.10.30
2060

Is the port ready? The need for a port development plan for the timely deployment of offshore wind

Authors:Yunsik Chung,
Is the port ready? The need for a port development plan for the timely deployment of offshore wind
According to the 10th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, Korea is targeting a 6.3% share of wind power in total electricity generation and a cumulative installed capacity of 14.3 GW of offshore wind power in 2030, but there are no ports in Korea that can be used as marshalling ports for offshore wind farms, and even if the construction of the currently planned ports proceeds smoothly, there will be a serious bottleneck from 2026, and only 7.8 GW of offshore wind power can be installed at the end of 2030. Our simulations show that 7.3 GW of additional offshore wind capacity could be installed by 2030 (totaling 15.1 GW), assuming that the currently planned ports are built as soon as possible, and new ports are constructed. This issue brief recommends that the government should reorganize the Basic Plan for Ports and the Basic Plan for the Construction of New Ports to meet the carbon neutrality target and proceed with the construction of installed ports based on this, which will proactively resolve bottlenecks and contribute to achieving the national offshore wind deployment target.

• For offshore wind farm construction, manufacturing, marshalling, and maintenance ports are required. Among these, the marshalling port has the most stringent requirements and significantly influences the construction duration and cost.

 • Currently, no marshalling ports are available in South Korea to construct offshore wind farms. There are plans to develop five marshalling ports, but except for Mokpo New Port, 1) the completion time is too late to contribute to the 2030 offshore wind installation target, 2) the port size is small compared to the planned offshore wind farm scale, or 3) there is no specific development plan detailed.

 • According to our simulation, we found out that only 7.8GW of offshore wind farms can be built by 2030 under the current marshalling port development plans.

 • As proposed in this issue brief, by promptly advancing the aforementioned marshalling port development plans and adding the development of new ports, the simulation results confirmed the feasibility of constructing 15.1GW offshore wind farms by 2030.

 • The government should establish a port master plan and a new port construction basic plan that aligns with the carbon neutrality goal. Actively promoting the construction of marshalling ports based on these plans will help prevent the expected bottleneck phenomenon from 2026 and contribute to achieving the 2030 offshore wind installation targets.

#Offshorewind#Marshallingport#PortMasterPlan#NewPortConstructionBasicPlan#MinistryofOceansandFis