President Moon "Special Thanks to Doosan Heavy Industries for Advancing Offshore Wind Power Research" (Comprehensive)

First On-Site Visit of Korean New Deal, Visit to Jeonbuk Offshore Wind Power Complex... Offshore Visit to Green Energy Site

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jung-min] On the 17th, President Moon Jae-in expressed his gratitude for Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction's efforts in advancing offshore wind power technology during his first on-site visit for the Korean New Deal.

That afternoon, President Moon visited the Wind Power Test Building at the Wind Power Core Technology Research Center of the Korea Institute of Materials Science located in Buan, Jeonbuk, as well as the Jeonbuk Southwestern Offshore Wind Power Demonstration Complex. He inspected the Wind Power Test Building at the Wind Power Core Technology Research Center in Buan, Jeonbuk, the cradle of Korea's wind power industry. The Wind Power Core Technology Research Center is the only internationally accredited wind blade (rotating wing) testing institution in Korea, where certification tests for all nine blades developed domestically were conducted.

At the Wind Power Test Building, President Moon listened to explanations from developers at Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Human Composite, LS Cable & System, and Hyundai Steel about offshore wind power components, including 3MW-class wind blades, and personally observed the blade testing.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "I especially want to thank Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction. In fact, it has been more than ten years since we started promoting offshore wind power as a national project. Several large corporations formed project groups but eventually gave up and withdrew. However, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction never gave up and continued research and development, reaching today's level."

He added, "I used to think wind blades were as simple as fan blades, but seeing them here, I realized they are very difficult equipment combining the most advanced materials and cutting-edge technology. I am very proud to know that we are by no means behind the top level in the blade field."

The Blue House explained, "Only seven countries worldwide, including Korea, Denmark, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and China, have wind blade testing institutions recognized by the International Renewable Energy Standard Organization. Once the expansion of the Wind Power Test Building is completed by the end of the year, it will have the world's largest-scale blade testing facilities and equipment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Blue House added, "This visit signals the full-scale promotion of Korea's Great Transformation and the Green New Deal following the Korean New Deal National Report Conference. It reflects the determination to accelerate energy transition centered on offshore wind power, a representative renewable energy source, and to raise the competitiveness of Korea's wind power industry to an advanced country level, aiming to become one of the world's top five offshore wind power nations by 2030."

Meanwhile, President Moon moved to the offshore area of the Jeonbuk Southwestern Offshore Wind Power Demonstration Complex to visit the green energy site. The Jeonbuk Southwestern Offshore Wind Power Demonstration Complex is Korea's third offshore wind power complex with a capacity of 60MW, which has been operational since July last year. From this year, the pilot complex construction will be actively promoted and is expected to expand to a total capacity of 2.46GW by 2028, equivalent to 2.5 coal-fired power plants. This capacity can supply electricity to 2.24 million households.

President Moon emphasized that the Green New Deal is a timely demand for future society and an international standard. He also expressed the will to create new markets, industries, and jobs through the Green New Deal while responding to climate change as a responsible member of the international community.

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries announced a vision to become one of the world's top five offshore wind power nations by 2030. The government plans to allow navigation and fishing activities within offshore wind power complexes and establish a coexistence model where fisheries and offshore wind power coexist, including demonstration of sea ranches.

The Governor of Jeonbuk Province reported on the progress of the Southwestern Offshore Wind Power project, which involves an investment of about 14 trillion won, stating that it will revitalize the regional economy and, using the offshore wind power project and Saemangeum renewable energy project as a catalyst, will propel Jeonbuk to become the center of the Green New Deal.

On the day, two representatives of residents from Buan and Gochang in Jeonbuk, along with Korea Offshore Wind Power, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Jeollabuk-do Province, Buan County, Gochang County, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signed a memorandum of understanding for a large-scale resident-participatory offshore wind power project in the Jeonbuk Southwestern region.

The Blue House stated, "The agreement to promote the project through a public-private consultative body is the first case in Korea and is evaluated as a model case where local residents participate and propose coexistence measures between offshore wind power and fisheries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.