Doosan Heavy’s offshore wind farm on Jeju (Yonhap)
JEJU, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – The provincial government of Jeju Island said Thursday it will establish energy storage systems (ESS) at three sites on the island on a gradual basis by 2026 as part of efforts to ensure the stable storage and supply of renewable energy power.
The three ESS will have a combined power storage battery capacity of between 640-800 megawatts (MW).
The central government plans to complete the installation of the third 200 MW undersea cable network connecting Jeju with the southwestern island of Wando by 2024.
Accordingly, the provincial government expects to be able to store the surplus electricity at ESS complexes or transmit it to other regions through the third undersea cable network.
At present, the state power utility Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) operates the power network based on fossil fuels, and if the power supply is excessive, it halts the operation of power generation starting from renewable energy.
This is because it’s difficult to ensure stable operation of renewable energy such as solar and wind power, where the output varies depending on weather conditions.
In 2021 and 2022, the number of cases where the province’s renewable energy output was controlled stood at 168 for wind power and 29 for solar power.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
