In February 2025, South Korea’s National Assembly passed the Special Act on Offshore Wind Power Deployment and Industry Development, marking a breakthrough in the country’s clean energy transition. The Act introduces a government-led framework for offshore wind development, giving national authorities responsibility over site designation, permitting, and dispute resolution—a significant shift from the previously developer-led system.
Until now, fragmented responsibilities were a key challenge faced by Korea’s offshore wind sector. Developers were solely responsible for and had to navigate site selection, permitting, and even managing local conflicts. As a result, more than 20 gigawatts of generation licensed projects remained stalled.
NEXT group, a member of the International Network of Energy Transition Think Tanks, played a pivotal role in shaping the provisions that now define the government’s role and resolve long-standing regulatory uncertainty around ongoing offshore wind projects. The think tank’s research and policy engagement has long focused on ensuring the fastest possible deployment of offshore wind in South Korea. When early drafts of the Act did not adequately recognize projects already in development and guarantee grid access, NEXT group proposed practical, legally and economically sound solutions to integrate existing projects into the new framework without costly delays or legal disputes. Additionally, NEXT group emphasized that offshore wind cannot be successfully commercialized without addressing grid bottlenecks, an issue that is now reflected in the law.
NEXT group’s active engagement with government ministries, the National Assembly, industry stakeholders, and civil society organizations—through both public events and closed-door discussions—led to adoption of several of its core proposals in the Act, including:
- Ensuring that existing project developers can continue operations under the same legal framework;
- Providing a clear legal basis for previously approved project sites to be incorporated into government-designated development zones; and
- Requiring that grid connection agreements be secured before an area can be designated as a development zone.
The law will encourage more proactive grid planning, requiring that connection agreements be secured before new development zones are designated. This is a critical step toward aligning system operations with the needs of a renewables-powered grid.
The approval of this Special Act introduces a new era of certainty, with a coordinated and predictable system for Korea’s offshore wind sector. It unlocks long-paused investments and positions Korea as a credible renewable energy investment destination, especially crucial as the country looks to phase out coal. By removing legal bottlenecks and securing grid connection certainty, the Act is a powerful de-risking tool for investors, laying the groundwork for offshore wind to become a core alternative source of electricity.