The first tidal power plant in Korea has been completed at Jindo Island, South Jeolla Province. The development is called the Uldolmok Power Plant and has been completed four years after its ground-breaking at a cost of $10 million.

The 1,000-kilowatt plant will produce 2.4 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually. Power capacity will be expanded to 90,000 kilowatts by 2013 in the second stage providing electricity for around 46,000 households. In its initial capacity the power plant will produce enough power to provide electricity to 430 households.

The Uldol-muk Strait produces maximum tidal water speeds that exceed 6.5 m/s and the width of the strait is around 300 meters. In short, it is the ideal location for a tidal power plant.

According to the Korean government the Uldolmok Power Plant is a step towards achieving its goal of  of generating 5,260 gigawatt hours using tidal power by 2020.

Another tidal power plant in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province is under construction and will be completed next year. The Sihwa plant in Ansan, near Seoul, will be world’s largest plant of its kind, with the ability to generate 254,000 kilowatts per hour using seawater flowing into Shihwa reservoir. The ministry is also conducting feasibility surveys on the sea near Jindo for the site of two additional tidal power plants.

Another Korean tidal energy development in progress is the Wando Hoenggan Waterway project.