On 19 May 2026, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced the “First Renewable Energy Basic Plan” at the 38th Energy Committee Meeting. This Basic Plan is the first of its kind established in accordance with the Act on the Promotion of the Development, Use, and Diffusion of Renewable Energy. The goal is to achieve a renewable energy capacity of 100GW by 2030 and as a portion of all power generation, renewable energy is to be at least 30% by 2035. The Basic Plan focuses on: (a) rapidly expanding the deployment of renewable energy, (b) drastically reducing the cost of renewable energy, (c) fostering the renewal energy sector as a future strategic industry by strengthening its competitiveness, (d) sharing income generated from, and increasing public awareness of, renewable energy, and (e) expanding renewable energy governance and enhancing the role of local government.
The highlights of the Basic Plan are as follows.
Key takeaways
(Abolition of the RPS system) As previously proposed, the existing RPS system is to be abolished, and a transition to a fixed-price contract system through competitive bidding in the capacity contract market for each power source will be initiated. Grandfathering provisions are to be implemented for existing projects under the RPS system.
(Solar power) To achieve the goal of 100GW of renewable energy by 2030, policies will be implemented to expand the deployment of renewable energy, with a focus on solar power. This is expected to be through the use of idle land, including (a) industrial complexes and factory rooftops, (b) agrivoltaic, (c) roads, railways, and agricultural waterways, and (d) schools and parking lots. In addition, the Basic Plan provides that support will be given for repowering solar facilities that are over 15 years old and to address grid connection issues arising from the increased capacity. The Basic Plan also sets out certain measures to reduce the cost of solar power generation.
(Onshore Wind Power) To promote the rapid deployment of onshore wind power, the permitting system, including wind measurement requirements, environmental impact assessments, and permits for temporary use of mountainous land will be reformed. It is expected that there will be a shortening of the project licensing preparation period through institutional improvements to expedite environmental impact assessment procedures, the standardization of forest road usage criteria, and the expansion of the permitted area for mountainous land use. Financial support is also planned.
(Offshore Wind Supply) The offshore wind supply chain is to be expanded, and the construction of shared grid connection facilities will be promoted. By 2030, new support ports are expected to be constructed to expand equipment supply capacity, and two large 15MW-class wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs) are expected to be secured, with more to follow. To address the high costs of grid connection, construction of offshore wind shared grid connection facilities (energy hubs) is planned. As with solar power and onshore wind, the Basic Plan provides for certain financial support.
(Change in Grid Connection Method) Complete overhaul of the existing first-come, first-served method of granting grid connection rights to a system that evaluates economic feasibility and public interest before granting rights. This appears to be intended to prevent so-called “grid hoarding” or the trading of grid connection rights. The Basic Plan provides that grid construction will be expanded in regions where onshore wind projects are active, such as Gangwon and North Gyeongsang Provinces.
(Other initiatives) The Basic Plan sets out various other initiatives such as the expansion of the installation of ESS, strengthening the role of local governments and expanding incentives for local residents.
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[Korean version] 제1차 재생에너지 기본계획 발표
