East Asia accounts for 82 gigawatts (GW) of prospective offshore wind capacity, representing more than 84% of the region’s prospective renewable energy capacity and requiring an estimated investment of US$381 billion, according to the latest data from the Global Wind Power Tracker.
Japan has approximately 27 GW of offshore wind capacity in its development pipeline, while South Korea accounts for 44 GW and Taiwan for 11 GW. In comparison, offshore wind represents around 21% of prospective renewable energy capacity across the rest of the world.
Despite these ambitious plans, the three markets face challenges in advancing projects to construction. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are each targeting approximately 10 GW of operational offshore wind capacity by 2030, but slow project development is raising concerns about their ability to meet these targets.
The countries are introducing policy changes and new development approaches to address regulatory, financial and infrastructure barriers affecting the sector.
Japan is assessing the designation of offshore wind promotion zones to support future project development. Taiwan has revised its auction rules by removing zero-price bids and easing localisation requirements, addressing key barriers to project bankability. The country is also formalising a rezoning initiative to expand areas available for offshore wind development.
South Korea is exploring a shared grid connection model for offshore wind farms. The approach could reduce integration and operating costs by enabling projects to share transmission lines and substations, lowering upfront investment requirements.
“There is a clear appetite for offshore wind in East Asia. The types of creative policymaking and support for project developers can mobilize the offshore wind market as a means to increase energy independence in the region,” said Sophie Lu, Senior Researcher at Global Energy Monitor and co-author of the brief.
The report highlights the significant growth potential of offshore wind in East Asia, while underscoring the need for effective policy support, bankable auction frameworks and cost-efficient grid infrastructure to accelerate project development and meet 2030 capacity targets.
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