The Japanese Government has launched a third round of auctions to select operators for two new offshore wind power areas off the coast of northern Japan, featuring a total potential capacity of 1.05 GW. One area, which has a capacity of 600 MW, is located on the southern side of the Japan Sea off the Aomori Prefecture, near Tsugaru city and the town of Ajigasawa. The other area, with a capacity of 450 MW, is located off the coast of the Yamagata prefecture near the town of Yuza.
The tender will run until 19 July 2024, with the results expected in December 2024. Both areas were selected in October 2023 as promotion areas to develop fixed-bottom offshore wind projects. The projects could become operational by mid-2030 and successful bidders will be allowed to use the sea areas for up to 30 years.
In December 2023, Japan awarded 1.4 GW of offshore wind capacity to three consortiums in Japan’s second round of offshore wind public auctions. The country aims to reach 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and up to 45 GW by 2040, to boost renewable power capacity in order to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral in 2050. As of end-2022, Japan only had 61 MW of installed offshore wind capacity.
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