South Korea will overhaul its offshore wind development framework from 26 March by introducing a government-led planned site system and integrated permitting procedures.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on the Promotion of Offshore Wind Power Deployment and the Development of Related Industries was approved at a Cabinet meeting on 17 March 2026 and will take effect on 26 March.
Under the new framework, offshore wind projects will move away from a system in which private developers individually identify sites and pursue permits. Instead, the government will identify suitable locations in advance and process permitting through an integrated pan-governmental structure.
The decree sets out detailed rules for operating the offshore wind planned site system, including the composition and operation of the Offshore Wind Power Committee, procedures for designating preliminary offshore wind zones, the establishment and operation of public-private consultative bodies, procedures for selecting project developers, and environmental review procedures.
A new Offshore Wind Power Committee will be established under the Prime Minister to coordinate inter-ministerial differences and deliberate on key policies related to the planned site system, including the designation of preliminary zones and development zones.
The government will designate preliminary zones after comprehensively considering wind conditions, impacts on fisheries and the environment, and maritime traffic conditions. These areas may later be designated as development zones following reviews of economic feasibility, public acceptance, and grid capacity.
If selected as a developer within a designated development zone, a project company will be able to process permitting procedures under relevant laws in an integrated manner.
The decree also provides for public-private consultative bodies led by local governments to discuss community acceptance and benefit-sharing measures. More than half of the members must be fishermen and local resident representatives.
From the law’s effective date, the government plans to establish the Offshore Wind Power Committee and its working-level committee, identify candidate sites for the first round of preliminary zones within the year in cooperation with relevant ministries and local governments, and prepare subordinate regulations in stages, including detailed criteria for environmental assessments and standards related to existing developers and designated cluster zones.
Minister Kim Sungwhan said the implementation of the Special Wind Power Act would shift offshore wind development from an individual developer-led approach to a planned site system under government management. He added that renewable energy expansion is an important foundation for strengthening energy security and that offshore wind would be expanded systematically while ensuring environmental integrity, public acceptance, and regional benefit-sharing.
