SFOC’s report finds that despite 20.8GW of offshore wind projects in Korea receiving electric utility licenses from 2013 to 2022, only 2% have been allowed to break ground, with delayed projects resulting from structural delays and 29 individual laws exercised by as many as ten government ministries.

The report summarizes the complex permitting processes for #offshorewind power in #Korea and analyzes the volume of delayed projects in each permitting stage. It further identifies the structural issues hampering offshore wind power permitting and suggests strategies for improvement. Any business hoping to develop offshore wind power in Korea, must navigate 29 individual laws exercised by as many as ten government ministries.

Three core reasons are noted to explain the permitting blockage: - Loopholes in the #ElectricUtilityAct encourage competition in securing optimum locations, leading to higher social costs - Individually-carried-out negotiations on project locations in the latter stages of development add to project uncertainty - The scope of discretion and decision criteria of local governments remains opaque, further complicating permitting.

This study suggests resolving permitting issues by

(i) reducing arbitrary decisions by local governments (i.e., more preemption by national level governments),

(ii) streamlining permitting processes into a single channel through a one-stop shop, and

(iii) conducting government-led auctions for offshore wind sites,

which we believe may have significance for other countries dealing with similar wind permitting delays.