President Moon Jae-in hears the announcement of the offshore wind power investment plan on the 5th. yunhap news
A nuclear science professor raised a question about the wind power project offshore of Sinan, Jeollanam-do, which the government is promoting. The main point is that the government overstated the capacity of wind power and overlooked the costs and inconvenience of residents in the process of transmitting the generated electricity.
Han-Gyu Joo Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University
On the 9th, Professor Joo Han-gyu of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University said, “President Moon Jae-in said that the wind power capacity of Sinan (8.2GW) is equivalent to six new nuclear power plants with 1.4GW. It was said that it was 惑世誣民).
He also said, “I know that the government is considering a plan to supply electricity to the metropolitan area by laying electric wires on the seabed of the west coast of the wind power generation in Sinan. I am not telling the people.”
Professor Joo posted this criticism on his Facebook page after the ’48 trillion won investment agreement ceremony for the world’s largest wind farm’ held on the 5th in Shinan. The government is preparing to build an offshore wind farm of 8.2GW by 2030 off the coast of Shinan. The investment is 48.500 trillion won, and the private sector such as SK, Hanwha and Doosan will invest 47.600 trillion won. The government plans to invest some money and support institutional support. The government’s goal is to accelerate the transition to eco-friendly energy and promote balanced regional development through the effect of creating 120,000 jobs.
President Moon Jae-in attended the agreement in person and introduced, “The 8.2GW of electricity produced here is equivalent to the power generation of six new Korean nuclear power plants. This is a huge amount that can be used by all households in Seoul and Incheon.” President Moon emphasized, “We are taking a powerful step toward recovering the local economy and taking a leap forward in the Korean economy.”
Sinan wind farm, concerns and objections. Graphic = Reporter Kim Young-ok [email protected]
“Inflating the facility capacity as if it were power generation”
Regarding this, Professor Joo said, “In order to produce electricity at the level that the President talked about, a wind of 13m per second must blow 24 hours a day, 365 days. Is that possible?” He pointed out that the President did not say this. “It appears to have been tricky to suggest that it is not cost effective compared to nuclear power generation, which has a utilization rate of 80 to 90%, which is not honest.”
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also clarified that the utilization rate of wind power is 30% through explanatory data. However, it did not connect with the president’s remarks. A passport official said, “(President Moon’s remarks) came from a position where he revealed a long-term vision for the completion of a wind farm in 2030,” and said, “It is inappropriate to criticize it only at the current technology level.”
Part of the plan of offshore wind farm in Sinan, Jeonnam. Photo Jeonnam-do
“The installation of transmission lines will cause civil complaints”
Professor Joo also expressed concern about the problem of transmission lines sending electricity produced by wind power in Shinan to other regions. He said, “At the time of the decision to build units 5 and 6 in Shin-Kori, Busan (2013), the residents of Miryang, where the electric wires pass, opposed the construction of the transmission tower as much as possible,” he said. He raised the question, “Would you be docile differently from the residents of Miryang?”
“Participatory type of residents different from the nuclear power plant”
In response, the Ministry of Industry said that it is difficult to compare the Miryang incident, which was linked to the argument against nuclear power plants, and the resident-participating Shinan wind power generation at the same level. Another official from the ruling party said, “The operation model of the Sinan wind farm is that local residents participate in the wind power business in the form of cooperatives and earn profits. Unlike Miryang, which had to appeal for damage from a passive standpoint against government policy, “We will be able to find a suitable electricity supply.”
Reporter Sunwook Choi [email protected]