Garorim Bay Tidal Power Plant Project is a planned tidal power plant in Garorim Bay, on the west coast of South Korea. The project is developed by Korea Western Power Company Limited and was in the process of receiving government approval as of November 2008.

Garorim Bay Tidal Power Plant Project is located between Seosan City and Taean County of Chungnam Province, South Korea, at the western seashore of South Korea. The electric power generation capacity of the plant will be 520 megawatt-hours per day (26 MW·h * 20 sets). This is more than twice the capacity of the Rance Power Plant in France, which is the biggest tidal power plant in the world as of 2007.

According to an announcement made by the power company, construction cost was estimated to be 1 trillion Korean won (1 billion US dollars) as of 2005.

Environmental impact

Garorim Bay Tidal Power Plant Project is regarded as one of the important tidal flats in South Korea. The Korean government included this bay in the National Wetland Inventory. The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) Project, managed by the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility, also surveyed the ecology of this bay.

According to a survey on fishery resources in 1981, supported by the Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute, this bay is an important spawning ground for many species of fish. The study predicted that the plant's construction would cause critical damage to the bay's ecology.

The bay is one of the most important fish farming sites in Korea, composed of about 2000 fishery households.

Response of local fishermen

On 20 August 2007, the power company tried to hold a Hearing from Residents, an official proceeding required by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). But about 1000 fishermen, demanding cancellation of the entire project, prevented the hearing from being held so the EIA requirement would not be met.

Relation to renewable energy strategy

Garorim Bay Tidal Power Plant Project is now being included in the South Korean government's renewable energy strategy. The Korean government classifies tidal power as renewable, and the Garorim Bay Project is included in the renewable energy plan which the government announced in September 2008.

The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (Friends of the Earth Korea) has criticized the project, arguing that the power plant is contrary to the purpose of renewable energy, because it would destroy the valuable tidal flats in the area, thus accelerating global warming.

The Incheon Tidal Power Plant Project is a large tidal power station currently proposed to be built at the Incheon Bay, South Korea. The facility is expected to top 1,320 MW in generating capacity with the help of 44 water turbines rated at 30 MW each, making this facility one of the largest of it kind in the world. The construction and developments costs are expected to reach ₩3.9 trillion (US$3.4 billion), of which would be entirely covered by private funding. The stations is expected to generate up to 2.41 TWh of energy annually upon its completion in June 2017.

Incheon Tidal Power Station
Country	South Korea
Locale	Incheon Bay
Status	Proposed
Commission date	June 2017
Power station information
Primary fuel	Tide
Generation units	44 × 30MW
Power generation information
Installed capacity	1,320 MW
Annual generation	2.41 TWh

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant is a large tidal power station currently under construction. Due to be completed in December 2010 and it will operate with a total power output capacity of 254 MW, surpassing the 240 MW Rance Tidal Power Station to become the world's largest tidal power installation.

The tidal barrage makes use of a seawall constructed in 1994 for flood mitigation and agricultural purposes. Ten 25.4 MW submerged bulb turbines are driven in an unpumped flood generation scheme; power is generated on tidal inflows only and the outflow is sluiced away. This slightly unconventional and relatively inefficient approach has been chosen to balance a complex mix of existing land use, water use, conservation, environmental and power generation considerations.

The Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant should provide indirect environmental benefits as well as renewable energy generation. After the seawall was built, pollution built up in the newly created Sihwa Lake reservoir, making its water useless for agriculture. In 2004, seawater was reintroduced in the hope of flushing out contamination; future inflows from the tidal barrage are envisaged as a complementary permanent solution.

Cost of the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant project is being met by the South Korean Government and at present totals 313.5 billion won. Mean operating tidal range is 5.6 m (18 ft), with a spring tidal range of 7.8 m (26 ft). The working basin area is 43 km² (17 sq mi).

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant
Country	South Korea
Locale	Sihwa Lake, Gyeonggi Province
Status	Under construction
Opening date	December 2010
Construction cost	₩313.5 billion
Owner(s)	Korean Water Resource Corporation
Power station
Type	Tidal barrage
Turbines	10 × 25.4 MW
Installed capacity	254 MW

Uldolmok Tidal Power Plant is a tidal power station in Uldolmok, Jindo County, South Korea. The plant was commissioned in May 14, 2009 (2009-05-14) by the South Korean government. The plant cost US$10 million and has an installed capacity of 1,000 KW (1 MW), generating 2.4 GWh annually, sufficient to meet the demand of 430 households.

The South Korean government plans to increase this capacity of 1 MW to 90 MW by the end of the year 2013, increasing the demand cover to 46,000 households, while simultaneously working on the 254 MW Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station. Part of the goal of generating 5,260 GWh through tidal power by 2020.

The Uldolmok Strait experiences tidal water speeds that exceed 6.5 m/s (21.3 ft/s) with the width of the strait being approximately 300 m (980 ft).

Uldolmok Tidal Power Plant
Locale	Uldolmok, Jindo, South Korea
Construction began	May 14, 2009 (2009-05-14)
Construction cost	US$10 million
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Barrage
Length	3,260 m (10,696 ft)
Impounds	Uldolmok Strait
Power station
Installed capacity	1,000 KW
Annual generation	2.4 GWh