Wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa has concluded a time charter contract with Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) for a crew transfer vessel (CTV) for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind project in Japan.
The CTV will be owned by NYK and managed by Hokkaido-based Hokuyo Kaiun, an NYK Group company.
The vessel will be used to transport workers between the offshore work site facilities and the onshore maintenance base after the wind turbines are in operation.
This will be the first CTV operation inside Japan by the NYK Group and the company’s aim is to use this as a foothold for further expansion into the offshore wind business, which is expected to grow in the future, NYK said.
The project’s developers, Pattern Energy Group and its affiliate in Japan, Green Power Investment Corporation (GPI), completed financing and began full construction of the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm in October last year.
Located approximately three kilometres from the shore of Ishikari Bay in Hokkaido, the project will utilise 14 Siemens Gamesa 8.0 MW wind turbines that are built specifically for offshore use.
The SG 8.0-167 DD offshore turbine is designed to meet local codes and standards regarding typhoons, seismic activities, 50 Hertz operation, as well as operation in high and low ambient temperatures.
Ishikari Wind will also feature a battery storage component with 100 MW x 180 MWh of capacity.
The Ishikari Offshore Wind project, and its accompanying battery storage component, are expected to reach commercial operation in December of 2023.
The project has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Hokkaido Electric Power Network for 100 per cent of the power output.