Survey operations are underway at an offshore wind farm site near Japan after Fugro signed a contract with the project developer, a consortium comprising RWE, Mitsui, and Osaka Gas.
The fieldwork started in May 2024 and is being performed from Fugro’s self-elevating platform (SEP), the Amberjack , and two of the company’s vessels, the Equator and the Mariner .
In April, the Dutch company transferred its SEP to Japan to easier support the local offshore wind market with geotechnical services.
The vessels and SEP are equipped with Fugro-owned geophysical, geotechnical, and positioning systems, which will acquire geo-data to enable the detailed design of turbine foundations and cable routes.
“Fugro has been established in Japan for more than 30 years, and RWE is a key global client of ours. So we’re pleased that RWE, Mitsui & Co., and Osaka Gas have chosen us to deliver this important Japanese wind farm project, which will contribute to the country’s commitment to expand offshore wind capacity as part of its goal to be carbon neutral by 2050,” said Jerry Paisley , Fugro’s regional sales director.
RWE first announced in December 2023 that a joint venture comprising its unit RWE Offshore Wind Japan Murakami-Tainai KK, Mitsui, and Osaka Gas had been selected to deliver a commercial-scale offshore wind farm with a planned capacity of 684 MW.
In March, the European Commission approved a deal that would see the creation of a joint venture between Germany’s RWE, Japan’s Mitsui & Co., and Osaka Gas to develop an offshore wind project.
The wind farm is planned to be located off the western coast of Japan, near the cities of Murakami and Tainai in Niigata Prefecture.
The project will feature 38 wind turbines and is expected to be fully commissioned in June 2029.