Structural Defects Delay Japan’s First Floating Offshore Wind Farm

September 22, 2023, by Adnan Durakovic

Japan’s Goto Floating Wind Farm Consortium has postponed the commissioning of the Goto City Offshore Wind Power Generation Project by two years following the discovery of defects in the floating structures to be used for the project.

The project’s commercial operation date was initially scheduled for January 2024. However, the construction process was delayed due to defects discovered in a floating structure during construction.

Accordingly, the consortium filed an application to revise the project’s public occupancy plan, rescheduling the operational startup for January 2026.

The application was approved by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on 22 September.

TODA Corporation, which oversees the project’s construction operations, announced that the defects were discovered in two floating structures under construction at an onshore yard back in May. TODA subsequently confirmed the facts, investigated the causes, and considered countermeasures. The company has also taken corrective measures for the defects in the two floating structures and restarted construction work at the onshore yard.

Additionally, TODA will conduct inspections of a floating structure already installed off the coast Sakiyama to verify the existence of defects.

One of the three floating structures already installed off the coast of Sakiyama will be landed on the yard in Fukue Port where the integrity of the floating structure will be verified. Based on the results, TODA plans to decide whether to inspect the remaining two floating structures that were already installed.

The 16.8 MW Goto floating wind farm will comprise eight Hitachi 2.1 MW turbines installed off Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture. The wind turbines are supported by hybrid SPAR-type, three-point mooring floating foundations.

The Goto Floating Wind Farm LLC Consortium was selected as the winner of Japan’s first offshore wind auction since the Renewable Sea Area Utilization Law came into power in April 2019.