The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives in South Korea has urged the government to address the rampant overdevelopment of offshore wind farms. (Image courtesy of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives in South Korea has urged the government to address the rampant overdevelopment of offshore wind farms.
In a joint meeting held by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on December 21, the fisheries industry raised concerns about the current rate of offshore windfarm development, which is proceeding unchecked the seas surrounding the Korean peninsula.
According to the Offshore Wind Power Countermeasure Committee, there are already 84 projects that have received the first stage of approval for wind power generation.
This scale of development is equivalent to converting an area 2,200 times larger than the island of Yeouido (2.9 square kilometers) into wind farm complexes.
The federation explained that there are 232 projects currently undergoing wind resource assessment, the stage before final project approval, intensifying the sense of crisis in the fisheries sector.
In a protest in front of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in Sejong on November 15, residents of Yeonggwang, including the Yeonggwang Fishermen’s Association, demanded the cancellation of an offshore wind power project.
In February, a special law on offshore wind power aimed at addressing the issue of haphazard development without systematic review of environmental impact and acceptability was proposed in the National Assembly’s Committee on Trade, Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Enterprises. However, as the 21st National Assembly nears its end, the fate of the bill remains uncertain.
Members of the countermeasure committee, who attended the meeting, proposed to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries the following: expedited passage of the special law on offshore wind power, development of protective measures for the fishing industry and planned site introduction led by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries if the law fails, and transfer of environmental impact assessments of offshore wind power to the Ministry.
Song Myeong-dal, the director of the Marine Policy Office at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, stated, “We understand the concerns of the fisheries industry regarding the proliferation of offshore wind power.
The Ministry is examining a range of policies at the department level, not only the special law, to protect the fisheries industry and manage maritime areas.”
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
