Wind Power News: Korea
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Formal decision made to compensate for damages caused by sound of wind turbines
SEOUL, June 7 (Korea Bizwire) – A formal decision has been made that the mechanical hum produced by the motors of wind turbines and a ‘whooshing’ sound produced by the blades moving through the air should be regarded as noise, and accordingly, compensation should be given to individuals residing near these turbines who suffer from such noise. The Central Environmental Dispute Mediation Commission said Monday that in response to a case in which 163 residents of two villages in Yeonggwang County . . . Complete story »
Blowing in the wind: Fishermen threaten South Korea carbon plans
Resource-poor South Korea wants to spend billions on wind power to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, but its plans are being delayed by fishermen who say the fight against climate change threatens their catches. The centrepiece of the scheme is what the government says will be the world’s biggest offshore wind power complex. The eight-gigawatt farm off Sinan in the country’s southwest will help the South become one of the world’s top five offshore wind energy powerhouses by the end . . . Complete story »
Yeosu fishermen protest against offshore wind farm project
A group of fishermen in the southern port of Yeosu are strongly protesting against an offshore wind farm project, claiming that it would devastate the region’s fishing zones, while menacing their right to live. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recently approved the offshore wind farm project consisting of 36 units of 8-megawatt (MW) power generators that is now underway in the neighborhood of Gwangdo Island in Yeosu. The ministry is known to have given the project the green . . . Complete story »
Jeju haenyeos call for cancellation of offshore wind power project
A group of “haenyeo,” or female divers in Jeju Island have voiced strong opposition ahead of the Jeju Provincial Council’s deliberations on the motion of the environmental impact assessment for the offshore wind farm in Gujwa-eup. About one hundred haenyeos who are members of the Handong-Pyeongdae fishing village fraternities held a press conference on Thursday in front of the Jeju Provincial Assembly, calling for the cancellation of the offshore wind farm project. They claimed that unlike the Hanlim offshore wind . . . Complete story »
Safety crackdown after string of fires hit wind and solar batteries
South Korea has ordered a string of extra safety measures after a months-long investigation into 23 fires at battery energy storage systems (ESS), most linked to wind and solar plants. Government officials blamed a range of factors for the blazes, which broke out over the course of a year and prompted the suspension of more than 500 ESS facilities in the country. South Korea is among the leaders in lithium-ion ESS technology globally thanks to the success of suppliers such . . . Complete story »
Fishermen oppose S. Korea’s first floating wind turbine project
SEOUL – South Korea’s first energy project to build a cluster of floating wind power turbines around an offshore gas platform that reached the end of its life boggled at a minority report from fishermen who have opposed the construction of large industrial facilities at their operating zone without a full evaluation of environmental effects. Initially, Ulsan City Mayor Song Chul-ho had proposed a pilot project to build a floating structure with a capacity of 750 kilowatts. If the first turbine . . . Complete story »
Wind turbines destroy local farming village
HONGGGYE-RI, North Gyeongsang Province – Jusan is considered holy by people living in a small farming village in Honggye-ri, North Gyeongsang Province. Rising just a few hundred meters behind the village, the pine tree-clad mountain is where people traditionally pray for a son. “We see beauty in nature every day,” 62-year-old Park Chung-lak, who grows apples in the village, said on a recent afternoon. “And it needs respect and admiration.” The top of the mountain is destined to be destroyed to . . . Complete story »
Residents turn against wind turbine projects along Baekdudaegan Mt. Range
Discontent among residents living near Baekdudaegan – the mountain range that snakes through the heart of the Korean peninsula – is on the rise concerning the growing presence of wind turbines in the area. Approximately 40 percent of the nation’s wind energy production is generated from the east and southeastern regions. As of February, 26.9 percent of the nation’s 939,126 MW produced were from plants located in Gangwon Province. The remainder of the 40 percent is generated by wind turbines located . . . Complete story »
Uiryeong locals occupy wind turbine construction site in protest
A protest against the development of a wind power complex around Hanu Mountain and Maebong Mountain in Uiryeong County, Gyeongsangnam-do has been continuing for two weeks at the construction site. About 10 to 30 locals are occupying the site, delaying the construction. Most of them are aged, leading to concerns about their health under continuous exposure to the hot sun. Wind power company Unison’s subsidiary Uiryeong Wind Power started logging two mountains and building an access road in April as . . . Complete story »
Samsung winds down European wind activities
Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has shut two of its wind energy offices in Europe and is downsizing its wind business in Korea. It is unclear what whill happen with SHI’s 7MW turbine It is unclear what whill happen with SHI’s 7MW turbine A spokesperson confirmed that SHI has shut down wind activities at its Hamburg and London offices, but denied that the company was pulling out of wind altogether. “We are now downsizing the [wind] business based on our new . . . Complete story »
