RWE acquired its first official approval from the Korean government to introduce a series of offshore wind farms in the country’s West Sea and produce sustainable, clean power for local communities, the German energy firm’s Korean office said on Friday.RWE Renewables Korea said it acquired a 495 megawatt (MW) electricity business license (EBL) from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the Seohae Offshore Wind Development Project it plans to introduce some 45 kilometers off the coast of Taean County, South Chungcheong Province.An EBL is a mandatory requirement in Korea that permits companies to generate and supply electricity.RWE opened its Korean office in Seoul in 2021 and the awarding of the contract is also attributed to the company’s efforts over the past two years to foster relationships with the Korean government and local stakeholders residing in oraround the areas where the energy projects are planned.”The planned project will not only contribute to the delivery of renewable energy in the regions, but also provide longer-term benefits including job creation and business opportunities for local communities, industries and suppliers whom RWE place at the heart of offshore wind development,” Tom Anderson, chief of the Seohae project, said.
Following the EBL, the company plans to work with local suppliers to continue their studies on engineering and environmental impact assessment on the Seohae project, and engage with the Taean County Office and Korea Electric Power Corp., a state-run utility that exclusively distributes power throughout the country, to plan and secure grid connection agreements.Prior to its latest EBL in Korea, RWE won an auction in Japan last December to launch an offshore wind farm in the country’s western waters off the coast of the cities of Murakami and Tainai, Niigata Prefecture, in a consortium with two local Japanese firms. It was the first auction RWE won in the Asia-Pacific region with its offshore wind farm.“Riding on the strong momentum following our recent success of the Murakami-Tainai project in Japan, the team in Korea has delivered this great achievement of our first EBL in Korea following other recent successes (in the country) including signing a co-development partnership with Hyundai E&C,” Jens Orfelt, RWE Renewables president of Asia-Pacific of Offshore Development, said.Under the leadership of David Jones, RWE Renewables Korea’s offshore wind development pipeline has expanded to over 3 gigawatts (GWs) in total. They include a 510 MW Neulsaem Ui project in the waters off Sinan County, a 2 GW Hanee Baram project in Incheon and another one being 카지노사이트킹 jointly developed with Hyundai E&C.