Prime Minister Kim Minseok is moving to receive a status report during his visit to the Saemangeum Development Agency in Gunsan, Jeonbuk on September 3, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News
Following the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, the construction of the Saemangeum Tidal Power Plant in North Jeolla Province has officially begun in earnest.
On December 22, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced at the Government Complex Sejong that it would sign a comprehensive contract for the basic design study with relevant organizations, including the Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, to successfully promote the Saemangeum sluice gate expansion and tidal power generation project and to establish a close cooperation system.
The Ministry explained, "This agreement has been arranged to jointly expand the sluice gates of Saemangeum Lake with related organizations, improve water quality, and actively promote the production of renewable energy through tidal power generation by utilizing the difference in water level between the sea and Saemangeum Lake."
The Korea Rural Community Corporation, Korea Water Resources Corporation, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power will carry out the following tasks: ▲ physical and environmental surveys, including analysis of the topography, water quality, and sluice gates across the Saemangeum basin ▲ increasing the circulation of seawater ▲ assessment of water quality improvement effects ▲ analysis of the mitigation of low-oxygen water masses in the lower layers and the impact on major biological groups ▲ review of the optimal scale of sluice gates and turbines and tidal power generation methods for water quality improvement, flood response, and tidal power generation ▲ linkage with the 'RE100' industrial complex for 100% renewable energy use ▲ review of power grid connection and alignment with renewable energy policies ▲ development of optimal operation and management plans for the sluice gates and tidal power generation facilities.
The government plans to install 14 turbines, 10 sluice gates, and 18 drainage gates on the Saemangeum seawall to build a tidal power plant with a capacity of 224 megawatts (MW). This facility will be able to generate 477 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually.
This is somewhat lower than the capacity of the Sihwa Tidal Power Plant, currently the only tidal power plant in Korea, which has a capacity of 254 MW and an annual output of 552 GWh. The maximum tidal range of Saemangeum Lake is 5.71 meters, which is lower than Sihwa Lake's 7.80 meters. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment explained, "The actual power generation facilities will be further specified through the basic design study for the expansion of Saemangeum sluice gates and tidal power generation."
Cho Heesong, Director of Water Environment Policy at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, stated, "This agreement marks a meaningful starting point for the integrated promotion of national tasks such as improving water quality in Saemangeum, responding to floods, and expanding renewable energy," adding, "We will actively support Saemangeum in becoming a leading example of climate, water environment, flood control, and energy transition, based on the expertise and technological capabilities of each organization."
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