30 OCT 2026 ·OFFSHORE ·SOUTH KOREA ·TENDER / AUCTION (BIDDING OPEN) EARLY SIGNAL

South Korea opens a 2.2 GW offshore wind tender for the second half of 2026

Analysis by a working wind technician, with the help of AI

// WHAT HAPPENED

South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment opened its second offshore wind tender of 2026 on 30 October. It is the first round since the mid-to-long-term bidding roadmap was published last June.

About 1.8 GW was awarded in the first half of the year. The new round offers about 2.2 GW, so the 2026 total reaches about 4 GW.

The new volume breaks down like this: - About 1,700 MW fixed-bottom: roughly 1,400 MW in the general tender and 300 MW in the public-led tender. - About 500 MW floating, tendered separately.

In the public-led tender, public bodies must hold a minimum stake. The aim is to make projects more stable and publicly accepted, and to encourage domestic suppliers for key equipment.

Price ceilings are 168,937 won/MWh for fixed-bottom and 174,003 won/MWh for floating. These are 1.34% and 0.63% lower than in the first half.

// WHAT IT MEANS FOR JOBS

PHASE NOW

Tender / auction (bidding open)

HIRING WINDOW

No direct hiring now · construction work likely from about 2029–2030 onward

ROUGH SCALE

Estimate: 2.2 GW would need several hundred technicians at peak, spread over 2–4 years, but only after awards, permits and financing

WORKFORCE EFFECT

New demand

TIMELINE · WHEN THE WORK HAPPENS

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First-half 2026 tender: about 1.8 GW awarded

Second-half 2026 tender opens: about 2.2 GW

Awards, permits and financing

Possible offshore construction and installation

Operations and maintenance

Solid bar = confirmed · outlined = planned · blue = long-term jobs

ROLES NEEDED

ROLE	WHEN	DEMAND	CERTIFICATES THAT HELP
Installation technician (mechanical/electrical)	Estimate: about 2029 onward	MEDIUM	GWO BST, BTT, offshore sea survival (BOSIET or similar)
Rigger / banksman	Estimate: about 2029 onward	MEDIUM	Slinger Signaller, GWO BST, Advanced Rescue Training (ART)
HV / commissioning technician	Estimate: about 2030 onward	MEDIUM	HV authorisation, GWO BST, BTT
Service technician (offshore)	Estimate: about 2031 onward	STEADY	GWO BST, BTT, offshore sea survival

// PLAN YOUR MOVE

Experienced technicians

Watch the award results and which turbine suppliers are chosen. Korea is a growing market, and offshore experience will be in demand once projects reach construction.

New to wind

Nothing is hiring yet. Use the time to get GWO BST and build basic mechanical or electrical skills for when projects start.

Looking for stability

Large awards usually lead to many years of service work. That is far off here, so for now look at projects already in operation.

Read: GWO Training: What It Is and Why It Matters Read: Where the Jobs Are: Global Wind Energy Job Market Overview Read: Offshore, HV, SCADA, Rope Access and More Build your CV

Source: Offshore Wind (offshorewind.biz) · Scale figures are rough estimates from field experience, not official numbers.