[Public Voices] Government Must Take the Lead in Developing Offshore Wind Support Ports and Hinterland Complexes

Lee Gi-yoon, Head of Wind and Marine Research Division, Green Energy Research Institute.

The global momentum for offshore wind power is rapidly increasing. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the global offshore wind installation capacity is expected to grow by an average of 15% annually from this year through 2027.

Domestically, the market is also shifting from onshore wind power to offshore wind power. However, unlike overseas, many challenges still remain before commercialization can accelerate. One of these is the lack of essential support port facilities, which are critical infrastructure for offshore wind power. To build large-scale offshore wind farms, not only are storage yards needed to hold large wind turbine components (nacelles, towers, blades), but also heavy load quays for pre-assembly of towers and berthing facilities for turbine installation vessels. This means that specialized support ports and hinterland complexes tailored for the construction and maintenance of large-scale offshore wind farms are necessary.

Ports hold significance beyond just offshore wind infrastructure. Around large-scale support ports and hinterland complexes, construction, management, and operation companies, specialized workforce training centers, and research and development (R&D) demonstration centers are established, forming an offshore wind cluster that serves as the cornerstone of the industrial ecosystem.

Recognizing the importance of fostering the offshore wind industry and building foundational infrastructure, European countries and others are focusing on expanding port facilities and supplying hinterland complexes. A representative example is the Port of Esbjerg in Denmark. Esbjerg is considered one of the most successful offshore wind support ports. Through its approximately 4.5 million square meters (1.36 million pyeong) port area, more than half of Europe’s offshore wind equipment is transported. Originally an oil and gas shipping port, Esbjerg transformed into an offshore wind hinterland port in 2007 to meet the demands of North Sea offshore wind construction.

With the port in place, wind industry companies built production facilities near the harbor to reduce transportation costs, naturally leading to the establishment of supply chains. Various value chain companies in offshore wind equipment production, maintenance, and R&D, such as Vestas and Siemens, formed an offshore wind cluster. Currently, about 3,500 wind-related jobs have been created in Esbjerg.

The driving force behind the establishment of such a large-scale offshore wind hinterland port was the government’s leadership and interest. Esbjerg diversified its port customers in response to the market shift from fossil fuels to renewables and expanded port facilities and hinterland areas to meet the increasing offshore wind demand. This was the result of proactive government market response efforts.

On the other hand, how is the situation in Korea? The government views support ports and hinterland complexes not as core infrastructure of the offshore wind ecosystem but merely as revenue facilities, responding passively to port facility development through methods such as repurposing existing wharves. As a result, there is an absolute shortage of port facilities that can be used as offshore wind support ports domestically. Wind power developers are focusing on Mokpo New Port, which has the functions of an offshore wind support port, but even Mokpo New Port lacks sufficient port facilities relative to demand. If multiple offshore wind power projects proceed simultaneously, the port shortage is expected to worsen. As a last resort, ports near offshore wind farms such as Gunsan Port can be reinforced or modified for use, but this also requires enormous funding, making it unlikely without government support.

The government needs to develop ports under national leadership not only to support offshore wind power generation but also to establish an industrial ecosystem foundation to strengthen national competitiveness. To this end, plans for offshore wind support ports and hinterland complexes should be incorporated into the '4th Basic Port Plan Revision' and the '4th Comprehensive Hinterland Development Plan,' and the government should embark on building large-scale dedicated offshore wind ports and port clusters under national leadership. This is a time when active government interest and proactive administration are required.

Lee Gi-yoon, Director of Wind and Marine Research, Green Energy Research Institute

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