Korea Eyes Massive Wind Farm on Western Coast
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
Scores of wind turbines will be installed on the shallow seabed of the West Sea in 2012 in order to carry out feasibility studies of the new technology, which the country regards as one of its future growth cash cows.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE) said Sunday that it will come up with a roadmap for the grandiose scheme midway through this year. Currently, its affiliated agency, the Korea Electric Power Research Institute, is looking into the viability of the project.
``We plan to construct an offshore wind farm whose annual capacity is around 100 megawatts. Multiple wind turbines are likely to be built in the West Sea where the sea floor is not so deep while winds are strong,'' MKE Director Hwang Soo-sung said.
``Its capacity will be eventually extended by more than 10 fold to beyond 1 gigawatt. The technology will later be exported as offshore wind power generation gains popularity across the world,'' he said.
The large-sized wind farm is projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, which the government hopes private corporations will pay. A lot of players are working in this area at the moment such as Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction and Hyosung Corp.
Wind energy, which currently accounts for around 1.5 percent of global electricity generation, has been touted as one of the most promising alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels.
It is plentiful, renewable and clean because it has nothing to do with harmful gas emissions. But some are opposed to the idea due to its downsides. Wind turbines can be noisy and hazardous to birds. Plus, some consider them eyesores.
As an alternative, offshore wind power has been raised as it is out of sight and can be far away from birds' migration routes. In addition, winds are usually stronger and more stable at sea.
``Offshore wind power is much more costly to build and maintain compared to onshore facilities but the former also has a flurry of advantages, which the latter lacks. So, experts predict that the future of wind energy lies offshore,'' Hwang said.
``The rivalry is already very stiff for countries to stay ahead of the pack in offshore wind power generation. We also hope to gain a competitive edge through the wind farm in the West Sea,'' he said.
Song added that if successful, the offshore wind power complex would help Asia's fourth-largest economy nurture next-generation growth engines as global demand for the technologies increase.
Several countries have shown their commitment to harnessing wind power at sea led by the United Kingdom and Denmark.