JERA, Green Power Investment Inaugurate Japan’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm

April 26, 2024, by Adnan Memija

On 23 April, JERA and Green Power Investment Corporation held an inauguration ceremony for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm in Hokkaido, Japan, which they own through a special-purpose corporation, Green Power Ishikari GK.

Ishikari Bay New Port inauguration — *Source: Siemens Gamesa via LinkedIn*

The 112 MW Ishikari Bay New Port, the largest commercial offshore wind farm in Japan, began commercial operations at the beginning of this year.

The construction of offshore wind project began in October 2022 after the project’s developers completed financing.

The onshore construction was carried out by Kajima Corporation and the offshore construction by a joint venture between Shimizu Corporation and Nippon Steel Engineering.

In December 2022, CAPE Holland revealed that 56 pin piles were installed at the construction site located approximately three kilometres from the shore of Ishikari Bay in Hokkaido.

The Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm features 14 Siemens Gamesa SG 8.0-167 DD wind turbines as well as a battery storage component with 100 MW x 180 MWh of capacity.

Ishikari Bay New Port has a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hokkaido Electric Power Network (HEPN) for 100 per cent of the power output.

The renewable energy is being routed through a project substation and then through HEPN’s Nishi Sapporo substation.

Now in its commercial stage, the wind project will power homes and communities across Hokkaido and beyond.