Mitsubishi wins Japan tenders for 1.7GW of offshore wind projects

Japan has announced three offshore wind farms totaling more than 1,760 MW in the country’s first auction for fixed bottom projects – with all the development consortia led by Mitsubishi Corp.

A consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation Energy Solutions, Venti Japan, C-Tech Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation will develop Yurihonjo – an 891MW wind farm located off Akita prefecture in northern Japan.

A second consortium comprising of Mitsubishi Corporation Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Corporation and C-Tech Corporation will develop the 478.8MW Noshiro Mitane Oga, also located off Akita prefecture, and the 390.6MW Choshi development off Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. All the projects will also feature GE 12.6MW hardware.

The announcement marks the second set of results of government auctions for offshore blocks under a new law to promote wind power as Japan aims to boost renewable power capacity to help achieve its 2050 goal of becoming carbon neutral.

The announcement comes at a time when governments around the world are scrambling to offer a record number of tenders for offshore wind sites and capacity this year, with more than 30 GW on the block.

The Yurihonjo project, which will feature 65 GE turbines, is scheduled to begin operations by December 2030. Noshiro Mitane Oga will consist of 38 GE machines and is expected online by December 2028, while Choshi will have 31 GE turbines and is scheduled to be operating by September 2028.

“This is the first bottom-fixed offshore wind power generation project in the general-sea-area in Japan. As one of the largest power sources in Japan, this project will provide large contributions to make renewable energy a main power source, which is one of the key goals for Japan to realize carbon neutral society by 2050,” Mitsubishi Corp said in a statement following the government’s announcement.

Both consortiums are partnering with companies including Amazon.com, Inc., NTT Anode Energy Corporation and Kirin Holdings Company, on a regional promotion strategy and have already made concrete proposals under their exclusive public occupancy plan, Mitsubishi said.

A number of companies, including major foreign wind power companies such as Denmark's Orsted, Germany's RWE and Norway’s Equinor, are keen to enter Japan’s market as it plans to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and up to 45 GW by 2040, news agency Reuters reported without naming any officials.