The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has awarded 1.4 GW of offshore wind capacity to three consortiums in Japan’s second round of offshore wind public auctions. The capacity was awarded over three blocks among four areas tendered. A consortium of Mitsui, RWE and Osaka Gas was notably awarded a 684 MW wind project off the coast of Murakami-Tainai in the Niigata prefecture of northern Japan. Commissioning of the 38-turbine project is scheduled for June 2029.
Another consortium made of Sumitomo Corporation and Tokyo Electric Power won a 420 MW wind project off the coast of Enoshima in the Nagasaki prefecture of south-western Japan, also expected to be commissioned in June 2029. Finally, a third consortium made of JERA, J-Power, Itochu and Tohoku Electric Power was awarded a 315 MW wind project off the coast of Oga-Katagami-Akita in the Akita prefecture of northern Japan, expected to be commissioned in June 2028. In addition, for the last area, METI plans to announce the winner of a 356 MW project off the coast of Happo-Noshiro (Akita prefecture) in March 2024.
Japan 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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