Offshore wind and defense agree to address military reviews

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes · Last updated: 28 August 2026

On 27 August, Kim Kang-hak, chairman of the Korea Wind Energy Industry Association, met Minister Ahn Gyu-back at the Ministry of National Defense to press for faster handling of offshore wind military reviews. The industry sought clearer, predictable criteria because South Korea had about 2.27GW of cumulative wind capacity at the end of 2024 while the government targets 18.3GW by 2030. Offshore wind military reviews are the specific procedural hurdle the association wants the ministry to help streamline so large sea-based projects can move from planning to construction.

Why the industry took the request to the Defense Ministry

The Korea Wind Energy Industry Association brought its concerns directly to the Ministry of National Defense because military clearance is a distinct, project-level gate for offshore developments. Attendees named in the meeting included Kim Kang-hak, Jeong Jong-yeong (Vice Chairman for External Cooperation) and Choi Deok-hwan (Head of the External Cooperation Office). The association framed military operational reviews as a turning point where projects either proceed or stall, asking the ministry to apply handling that preserves military readiness while giving the industry predictable outcomes.

The association argued that without clearer procedures and early engagement on exclusion zones and technical mitigation, developers face repeated delays and redesigns. Chairman Kim described offshore wind as a national strategic industry and asked for active and proactive cooperation within that framework. Minister Ahn told the delegation he sympathised with offshore wind’s role for carbon neutrality and energy security and pledged to seek cooperative measures that do not compromise military security.

The scale gap: where capacity stands versus targets

National statistics cited by the association show cumulative on- and offshore wind capacity at about 2.27GW by the end of 2024, while solar stood at 32GW. New installations have fallen in recent years, with 238MW added in 2022, 219MW in 2023 and 113MW in 2024, evidence the sector is not accelerating organically.

Policy targets in the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand make the scale-up explicit: the plan lists 3GW in 2025, 18.3GW in 2030, 35.5GW in 2036 and 40.7GW in 2038. Meeting the 2030 milestone would require a rapid and sustained rise in annual buildouts, a task made harder if projects are delayed by unclear military or permitting procedures.

Which obstacles multiply on the sea compared with onshore

Offshore projects add layers of stakeholder conflicts that do not exist for many onshore sites. The association listed fishing rights, shipping lanes, military zones, grid connection limits, and port and installation-vessel availability as overlapping constraints. Each constraint can trigger an independent review, and a single unresolved item can stop procurement, construction scheduling or financing.

The ministry's assessment emphasizes that the objections raised by the military are technical—centering on radar interference and impacts to aircraft and maritime operations—rather than merely being about location. Because these are technical problems, there are mitigation paths (for example, adjusting radar systems or creating buffer zones), but those solutions depend on agreed standards and clear timelines. In the absence of such agreements, developers will need to budget for redesigns or to move planned arrays, raising costs and lengthening deployment schedules.

Industrial consequences and the case for earlier engagement

A domestic supply chain only emerges when projects proceed from permit to order book. The article notes the Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project, promoted by Chairman Kim since 2017 and sized at 364.8MW, involves major domestic equipment suppliers; it is an example of how a single large project can anchor manufacturing, ports, vessels and maintenance services.

Representatives of major renewable-energy firms told the ministry they want consultations at the earliest planning stages, formal exclusion of areas with high military risk, and fast contingency options for projects that can be adjusted so that design and procurement timetables stay stable. Predictability would lower the threshold for follow-on domestic investment; conversely, lengthy reviews and repeated redesigns keep projects on paper and discourage suppliers from committing capacity.

How the pledge could change outcomes

The bottom line

The meeting on 27 August formalised a narrow but important request: make military operational reviews predictable and fast enough that projects can be planned and financed. South Korea’s wind sector faces a steep scaling task—2.27GW today versus an 18.3GW 2030 target—and delays in clearance, ports or grid access threaten to keep projects on paper. If the Defence Ministry and industry agree clear criteria and routine early engagement, the pathway for large offshore complexes and the domestic industrial base that depends on them becomes more practicable; if not, build rates are likely to remain constrained.

What to watch

• Watch whether the Ministry of National Defense publishes formal criteria or guidelines for military operational reviews; no date has been set.
• Watch for any formal memorandum or agreement between the Korea Wind Energy Industry Association and the ministry outlining early-consultation procedures; no date has been set.
• Watch progress on the Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project and any announcements about its permitting or construction timeline; no date has been set.