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.
‘Fishermen kept in dark about tidal wind power plants’
The former Moon Jae-in administration withheld a government-commissioned study that warned of damage to the fisheries industry from the planned construction of tidal wind power plants, a ruling party lawmaker said Monday. The study by the Korea Energy Agency in March of last year concluded that the initiative of the former administration to build 68 such plants with a combined capacity of 15.6 gigawatts in coastal regions would significantly undermine the livelihoods of over 121,000 residents, according to Rep. Ku . . . Complete story »
Offshore wind farm plans face strong headwinds
Ambitious offshore wind farm projects in Korea are facing strong headwinds from local residents and the fishery industry citing the possible impact of the projects on the environment and fisheries. In a deadlock, both the energy and fishery industries are calling for the government to fill in regulatory loopholes in the process of obtaining consent from local residents. Korea has been deemed a promising market for offshore wind farms by energy companies both home and abroad amid the accelerating transition . . . Complete story »
Residents, fishery industry push back against offshore wind farm plans
Ambitious offshore wind farm projects in Korea are facing strong headwinds from local residents and the fishery industry citing the possible impact of the projects on the environment and fisheries. In a deadlock, both the energy and fishery industries are calling for the government to fill in regulatory loopholes in the process of obtaining consent from local residents. Korea has been deemed a promising market for offshore wind farms by energy companies both home and abroad amid the accelerating transition . . . Complete story »
Formal decision made to compensate for damages caused by sound of wind turbines
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 in South Jeolla Province requested . . . 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 »
