RWE and Kyushu Electric have signed a Joint Bidding Agreement to start a full-scale feasibility study for a 700 MW offshore wind project that would be developed off the coast of Yurihonjo in the Akita prefecture, in northern Japan. In April 2019, the two companies signed a cooperation agreement to jointly assess opportunities for offshore wind projects in Japan.
The Yurihonjo area is one of the four most promising areas identified in August 2019 by the Japanese government for offshore wind development. The Japanese Ministries of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) had identified 11 areas for offshore wind power promotion in 5 prefectures of Japan, including 4 promising areas where wind measurements and geological surveys would start immediately, namely Noshiro (Mitane and Oga), in Akita prefecture; Yurihonjo (north and south), in Akita prefecture; Choshi, in Tokyo prefecture ; and Goto (floating wind), in Nagasaki prefecture.