Also posted on our Ports for People Korea website in Korean.
On June 24, Pacific Environment, the Energy Transition Forum and the KORNEN (Korea NGO’s Energy Network) jointly hosted the session “Local Renewable Energy, Making Port and Ocean for All” at the 2026 Jeju Forum. Building on last year’s successful discussion, this year’s session explored how Jeju — Republic of Korea’s leading renewable energy region — can demonstrate the synergies between maritime decarbonization, port electrification and energy hub development. Participants also discussed how regional cooperation could simultaneously address renewable energy curtailment and national grid congestion.
What Republic of Korea’s First Master Plan for Renewables means
As the global transition toward renewable and carbon-free energy accelerates in pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2050, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment of the Republic of Korea announced its First Master Plan for Renewable Energy in May 2026.
Through this plan, the government set ambitious targets of reaching 100 gigawatts of installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 and generating more than 35% of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources by 2035. More importantly, the plan recognizes that the energy transition is no longer solely about addressing climate change — it is also an urgent national priority for strengthening energy security and industrial competitiveness.
Among the greatest barriers to expanding renewable energy are the regional imbalance between electricity generation and demand, insufficient transmission infrastructure and limited energy storage capacity. Addressing these challenges requires a decentralized energy system that can flexibly manage the variability of renewable power while storing and redistributing electricity at strategic locations.
At the same time, maritime transport — one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize — will require enormous quantities of renewable-based zero-emission fuels to achieve the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) net-zero target by 2050. Ports, where these fuels must be stored and supplied, can therefore serve as strategic energy hubs and major demand centers within a renewable-powered decentralized electricity system.
Developing Jeju New Port into a marine energy hub powered by clean electricity
A broad consensus emerged during the session that the planned Jeju New Port should be developed into a carbon-neutral port powered by Jeju’s abundant renewable electricity.
The session opened with congratulatory remarks from National Assembly embers Moon Dae-rim, who represents Jeju, and Kim Seong-beom, who represents Seogwipo, demonstrating strong political commitment to advancing this agenda in Jeju.
Drawing on his 32 years of experience at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries overseeing port, shipping and maritime policy, Rep. Kim emphasized that ports and oceans are critical infrastructure connecting the national economy with local communities. He stressed that, in the era of climate change and energy transition, ports must evolve beyond logistics hubs to become strategic energy hubs that utilize renewable energy and support the transition to clean shipping. He expressed his hope that Jeju New Port would become a leading example of this transformation.
In his written congratulatory message, Rep. Moon acknowledged both the delays in renewable energy deployment caused by insufficient transmission infrastructure and the significant challenges facing maritime decarbonization. He expressed hope that Jeju’s experience under its Carbon Free Island (CFI) initiative, which would transform the island into a carbon-free energy system and leverage clean energy, would generate innovative solutions benefiting both sectors. Rep. Moon also noted that he had introduced the Special Act on Supporting Green Shipping Corridors, which was passed by the National Assembly in March 2026, and has consistently advocated for Jeju as an ideal location to integrate renewable energy production with the deployment of environmentally friendly vessels.
Renewable energy must be consumed where it is produced
Kim Young-hwan, special advisor on energy policy for Jeju Province, introduced Jeju’s energy strategy and projected a dramatic increase in electricity demand driven by economy-wide electrification. Considering the high cost of transmission and limited grid capacity, he emphasized the principle of local production for local consumption of energy as the most effective solution. He argued that Korea’s pathway to carbon neutrality can be found in Jeju’s experience by combining renewable energy expansion, diversified electricity demand and localized energy consumption.
Speaking on port electrification, Jo Hyun-jin, shipping and ports associate at Pacific Environment, emphasized that ports sit at the intersection of renewable energy, maritime transport and port policy. She warned that port electrification without corresponding renewable energy deployment risks merely shifting carbon emissions elsewhere. Instead, she proposed developing Jeju New Port into a marine energy hub capable of utilizing surplus renewable electricity generated during Jeju’s frequent renewable curtailment events — 181 instances annually — thereby addressing both grid congestion and maritime decarbonization simultaneously.
Electric vessels for energy storage and green shipping corridors
The session also presented a vision for expanding energy demand through the electrification of coastal vessels while utilizing ship batteries as distributed energy storage assets that can support the electricity grid. This approach would also enable the development of coastal green shipping corridors.
Dr. Kim Young-sik, director of the Green Fuel Propulsion Research Center at the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO), introduced KRISO’s independently developed Roll-on/Roll-off mobile battery power supply system, specifically designed to meet the operational characteristics of Korean ports. The vessel has already completed 42 demonstration voyages, validating both the safety and reliability of battery operations, while the necessary legal framework for commercialization has also been established.
KRISO plans to deploy this vessel as the demonstration ship for the national Jeju-Mokpo Green Shipping Corridor. Ultimately, the project aims to become Korea’s first demonstration of a carbon-neutral green shipping corridor by charging vessels with surplus offshore wind power generated in Jeju.
Strengthening energy cooperation between Jeju and Jeollanam-do
The session also highlighted the growing need for energy cooperation between Jeju and Jeollanam-do, two regions endowed with abundant renewable energy resources that increasingly face similar renewable curtailment challenges.
Yoon Young-sam, head of the Offshore Wind Team at Jeollanam-do Provincial Government, shared the province’s renewable energy achievements while noting that renewable energy curtailment has become increasingly severe, largely due to transmission bottlenecks connecting to the Seoul metropolitan area. Echoing Jeju’s emphasis on local energy production and consumption, he proposed that Jeju and Jeollanam-do proactively establish a regional energy cooperation model. Expanding electricity demand through ports, he argued, should be considered an integral part of broader strategies to alleviate grid congestion.
Kim Jeong-do, secretary general of the Jeju Climate Justice Center, agreed that the two neighboring provinces could provide flexibility services to one another’s electricity systems, emphasizing the need for stronger political and administrative cooperation. Regarding Jeju New Port, he suggested reducing the scale of commercially oriented development plans in favor of securing sufficient space for on-site renewable energy generation and energy storage. By integrating nearby renewable energy projects, he argued, Jeju New Port could become an RE100 port — a port that has committed to operate with 100% renewable electricity — that serves as a model for future sustainable port development.
During the panel discussion, participants also highlighted several additional priorities, including the establishment of regional electricity companies to improve the operation of distribution networks in the era of decentralized energy systems; the need for comprehensive research on future energy demand and supply planning for major regional ports; and the importance of attracting RE100 industrial complexes to Jeollanam-do to advance the local production and local consumption of renewable energy.
Ports at the center of the energy transition
Just as the energy transition is now recognized as an issue of energy security and national industrial competitiveness — not simply climate change — the decarbonization of shipping and ports should no longer be viewed merely as a matter of regulatory compliance for government agencies and industry.
Instead, port-centered decarbonization presents an opportunity to ease regional grid constraints, secure reliable supplies of clean electricity and enhance the long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability of the communities that depend on ports.
Building on the discussions, insights and recommendations from the 2026 Jeju Forum, Pacific Environment will continue working with partners to strengthen the strategic connection between renewable energy and ports, accelerating the Republic of Korea’s national energy transition while advancing the decarbonization of its shipping and port sectors.
Read more about how the Republic of Korea’s ports can be reimagined as renewable energy hubs by using unused renewable energy for port and ocean shipping electrification in our study, “Renewable energy-based port electrification in Republic of Korea.” It reveals the potential and conditions for renewable energy-based port electrification, along with the institutional bottlenecks and challenges to its implementation.
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