It’s Tuesday, February 9, and South Korea is planning the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
South Korea has announced plans to build the world’s largest wind farm in the world, providing 8.2 gigawatts of power and accelerating the country’s transition to a clean-energy economy.
The new wind farm will be located off the coast of the southwestern archipelago of Sinan, and will provide the same approximate power as six nuclear reactors, or enough to power 2.7 million American homes. South Korean President Moon Jae-in traveled to the region for a signing ceremony last week, saying that the plant would help move the country “more vigorously toward carbon neutrality.”
South Korea is one of several countries — including Japan and France — that have pledged to zero out their carbon emissions by 2050. The nation, which currently gets around 60 percent of its energy from fossil fuels, is aiming to rapidly develop renewables in keeping with President Moon’s promise of a Korean “Green New Deal.”
When completed, the $43.2 billion wind farm will almost quintuple the current wind capacity of South Korea. But more will be needed to meet Moon’s green goals — the country ultimately hopes to have 16.5 gigawatts of wind power available within the next 10 years.
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