Three Consortia Selected in Japan’s Offshore Wind Tender, Fourth Winner to Be Announced in March 2024

December 13, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Three consortia, one led by JERA, one by Sumitomo Corporation, and one by German RWE, have been selected in the latest offshore wind auction in Japan that saw three developers awarded development sites. Japan has also put another, fourth site out to tender in this round, but the winner of this site is expected to be announced in March 2024.

JERA and its consortium partners Electric Power Development (J-POWER), Tohoku Electric Power, and Itochu Corporation have secured a site offshore Oga City, Katagami City, and Akita City in Akita Prefecture.

The partners plan to build an offshore wind farm with an installed capacity of 315 MW that will be put into operation in June 2028.

Sumitomo Corporation, in consortium with TEPCO Renewable Power, has been awarded an offshore wind development site off the coast of Enoshima Island, Saikai City, in Nagasaki Prefecture, where it will build a 420 MW project with plans to have it operational by August 2029.

The Sumitomo-led consortium says it aims to engage with Sumitomo Metal Mining and SUMCO Corporation as the off-takers of the green electricity to be generated from the project.

As reported today, 13 December, the third developer that Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) selected is a consortium between RWE, Mitsui & Co., and Osaka Gas, which plans to build a 684 MW wind farm offshore the cities of Murakami and Tainai in Niigata Prefecture.

The fourth site offered in Japan’s second round of offshore wind auctions, located off Happo Town in Akita Prefecture and Noshiro City, is going to have to wait a few months to have its developer announced.

According to a press release METI issued today (13 December), the “most highly rated business operator” has had to resubmit its occupancy plan due to overlapping use of ports. The resubmitted plans will be evaluated by a third-party committee and the results will be announced in March 2024.