South Korea designates 2.4 GW Southwest Jeollabuk-do offshore wind as Renewable Energy Cluster

Jeollabuk-do (Jeonbuk Province) announced on the 16th that the Southwest Jeollabuk-do Offshore Wind Project Expansion Complex 2 has been officially designated as a Renewable Energy Clustering Zone. The designation follows a review by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment’s Renewable Energy Policy Deliberation Council.

The cluster now covers a total of 2.4 GW, comprising a 0.4 GW demonstration site, and two expansion sites of 1 GW each. The expansion complex 2 designation completes the overall 2.4 GW Southwest offshore wind program, the largest offshore wind development project in Korea to date.

The offshore wind area lies off the coast of Gochang and Buan in Jeollabuk-do. The project is worth about 14 trillion won and, upon completion, is expected to provide stable power to hundreds of thousands of households, roughly comparable to the output of several nuclear reactors.

As a Renewable Energy Cluster, a local government identifies development sites and fosters public participation through a private-public council that includes residents, fishermen, and the municipal government, aiming to secure local acceptance before moving forward with development.

Designating a cluster yields several incentives. These include an additional 0.1 REC weighting for the municipality, upfront grid investment for the 2.4 GW capacity, and the authority to select a project operator through a public tender.

Officials say the designation recognizes the province’s efforts to secure suitable sites and build social acceptance, while reinforcing a broader plan to grow the offshore wind industry ecosystem, create jobs, and boost regional economic activity. The expectation is that related industries—components, installation, and maintenance—will cluster around Jeollabuk-do, helping establish the region as a domestic renewable energy hub.

However, the designation is conditional on the defense ministry’s consultation for the entire designated area. The province will coordinate with central government, the defense ministry, and subordinate units to complete the consultations and move promptly on selecting a project operator and related actions. Yon Seon-hwa, director of Jeollabuk-do’s Future Advanced Industries Office, called the conditional designation a key turning point and pledged to strengthen community engagement and to move quickly to ensure the project advances in a way that benefits the region.

For United States readers, the move signals Korea’s accelerated push into offshore wind as part of broader energy and climate strategies. The project could influence regional supply chains for wind components and services, highlight cross-border opportunities in green technology collaboration, and illustrate how Korea coordinates local and national processes—including defense considerations—in large-scale energy development. Such dynamics may matter for U.S. firms and policymakers tracking energy security, infrastructure investment, and international green-energy partnerships.