"Securing Public Interest First"... Kyungsillyeon Urges Government to Postpone Review of Incheon Offshore Wind Power Project

The Incheon Federation of Economic Organizations (Incheon FEO) has called for securing the public interest in the offshore wind power project being promoted on Deokjeokdo Island, Incheon, urging the government to postpone its review.

On the 22nd, Incheon FEO issued a statement saying, "The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to hold an electricity committee meeting to review the 'Incheon Offshore Wind Power Project Units 1 and 2 permit,' but there is strong opposition from local residents," adding, "Since residents' acceptance has not been properly secured, the ministry should postpone the project review."

The organization stated, "Residents of the West Sea Five Islands have submitted a petition to President Yoon Suk-yeol demanding the guarantee of safe mobility rights, and the Ongjin County Council has also adopted a resolution opposing the creation of an offshore wind power complex along the West Sea Five Islands route and ensuring the safety of passenger ship routes."

They also suggested that considering the public nature of offshore wind power, it is more appropriate for public institutions rather than private entities to lead the project, and actively requested the establishment of an energy corporation under the Incheon city government.

Incheon FEO emphasized, "Private-led offshore wind power projects in the waters off Incheon are causing conflicts with local residents in each case. Most of these issues are directly related to the fishermen's right to livelihood due to residents' acceptance problems," and added, "The government should recognize that the sea, which is irreplaceable, is public property and reconsider the project from the perspective of publicness and public interest led by the government (public sector)."

They continued, "Incheon city should also conduct a fact-finding survey focusing on issues such as private operators' resident acceptance problems, the actual impact on local industries, reinvestment of private profits, and regional returns. Furthermore, since strengthening the city's role is required in terms of local autonomy and decentralization, the establishment of the Incheon Energy Corporation should be actively considered."

Offshore Wind Power [Photo by Asia Economy]

Incheon FEO demanded that Incheon city conduct a comprehensive review of the Offshore Wind Power Project Units 1 and 2 and form a joint response organization with local civil society to devise countermeasures.

Danish company Ørsted Korea is investing about 8 trillion won to promote the largest offshore wind power project in Korea, with a capacity of 1,600 MW, located off the west coast of Deokjeok-myeon, Ongjin-gun, Incheon.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Electricity Committee is scheduled to review the project permit soon. If approved, the project developer can proceed with procedures such as permission for the use of public waters, environmental impact assessments, and construction plan approvals before starting construction.