Offshore wind energy surges in APAC

Offshore wind energy surges in APAC

The Asia-Pacific region is witnessing another surge in offshore wind energy development, with Japan and South Korea leading the charge. As these markets expand, ensuring robust health and safety regulations keeps pace with industry growth is becoming increasingly critical to project success and workforce safety.

Recent Developments in Japan and South Korea

Both Japan and South Korea have set ambitious offshore wind targets to accelerate their energy transitions. However, the development of robust health and safety regulations remains a pressing concern.

In Japan, the government has set the targets to achieve 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and up to 45 GW by 2040 as part of its decarbonisation goals. In December 2024, Japan selected two consortiums to manage offshore wind projects in its third auction round, including one near the Aomori Prefecture (JERA, Green Power Investment, and Tohoku Electric Power), and another by the Yamagata Prefecture coast (Marubeni, Kansai Electric Power, BP's unit BP IOTA). Both projects are expected to commence operations in June 2030. Including the projects from the previous round of auction, Japan is now on track to have approximately 2,484 MW of offshore wind capacity operational by 2030.

South Korea is also making significant strides in offshore wind. As of end of 2024, there were 1,886 MW of wind farms awarded by the Korean government, including fixed bottoms—Anma (Equis), Taean (Vena and CIP), Yeonggwang Yawol (Daehan Green Power), and one floating—Firefly (Equinor). And the next round of auction results is aimed to be announced in 2025.

Focus on Safety Performance

The rapid expansion of offshore wind activities in the Asia-Pacific region necessitates a heightened focus on safety performance. In 2023, members of the G+ Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation reported a record 61.9 million hours worked, a 39% increase from 2022. However, this surge in activity was accompanied by a 94% increase in reported incidents, highlighting the critical need for continuous improvement in safety protocols. With foreseeable offshore activities increasing, there are many areas that might be a pressing concern.

One of the key challenges is ensuring that local contractors, many of whom have experience in other maritime and construction sectors but not in offshore wind, align their safety practices with offshore wind standards. To bridge this experience gap, industry stakeholders must ensure that the alignment of the project requirements provide a space for communication and mutual learning, so that we can cultivate a rigorous workforce and safety. This can also help decreasing the risk of less-experienced contractors undertaking critical offshore wind construction and maintenance activities.

Another specific challenge in both Japan and Korea is the occupational regulations for offshore wind workers within existing labour law and maritime laws. As there is not (yet) a regulatory framework for offshore wind outside of project development and EIA, offshore wind technicians often fall under marine and seafarer regulations, which may not fully address the unique risks associated with offshore wind operations. This gap includes the medical/physical requirements, safety training, working hours, and safety protocols.

In short, there are many aspects concerning the harmonisation between international standards with local practices. This means the collaboration within the industry and with the governments will play a vital part in enhancing the safety performance while executing the projects effectively. This is precisely what G+ aims to work through with our focal groups and industry-wide discussion.The G+ also relies on their strong partnerships with organisations such as IMCA, and their dedicated Asia-Pacific committee. By sharing expertise with those key links in the region, we can increase offshore wind safety in APAC together. With our continuous efforts globally to inspire discussions on various areas in offshore wind safety, the goal for the G+ APAC focal group aims to explore ways to strengthen awareness of offshore wind safety and expand engagement with a broader range of stakeholders.