2nd Meeting of Working Group 1

Energy efficiency and offshore wind power were two key topics for the 2nd Meeting of the “Energy Transition Working Group” of the Korean-German Energy Partnership. It was a pleasure to host the meeting once again and to facilitate a fruitful discussion between Korean and German policymakers and experts from research and industry.

 

 

Screenshot of the online meeting

After a quick overview on German and Korean Energy Policy from BMWK and MOTIE, the meeting switched its focus to offshore wind, and in particular the tender process behind installation of wind farms. Mr. Jeongseok Lee, from the Korean Energy Agency explained the recent developments in Korea, where 62 projects are currently in the pipeline. Importantly, a legislative proposal seeks to accelerate the approval process for developing offshore wind farms. On the German side, Mr. Gunnar Herzig, from the World Forum Offshore Wind, highlighted the ambitious targets of the German government (i.e., 30 GW capacity by 2030), as well as the regulatory changes which with centrally developed sites have incorporated qualitative criteria, such as noise emissions and education of the workforce, into the tender process.
 
The topic was taken further, with Roman Sieler presenting an adelphi-study on the achieved cost reductions on offshore wind in Germany. Notable factors for cost reductions included: technical experience along the value chain and the increasing scale of projects. It was noted that ambitious long-term strategy is a crucial factor for offshore wind developers globally.
 
Finally, the focus shifted to energy efficiency, with an overview of energy efficiency policies in industry and buildings being provided by adelphi. Emphasis was placed amongst others on the importance of (Climate and) Energy Efficiency Networks, in both Germany and Korea, for helping businesses achieve energy consumption reductions.
 
As ever, the discussion was engaging and fruitful, with potential topics to take forward including public acceptance of wind power and the effectiveness of energy efficiency policy of both countries. Thanks to all the companies who participated: MOTIE, Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action, AHK Korea (Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry), adelphi, Korean Energy Economics Institute (KEEI), Korea Energy Agency (KEA), Korean Embassy, WORLD FORUM OFFSHORE WIND (WFO), German Embassy Seoul.

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