TEPCO Ventures to Deliver SkySpecs Solutions to Japan’s Offshore Wind Market

SkySpecs an TEPCO Ventures have signed a partnership agreement to deliver SkySpecs’ solutions to the Japanese offshore wind market.

Under the agreement, TEPCO will deliver the robotics solutions provider’s autonomous drone inspections, blade asset management software, and predictive maintenance planning tool to the wind energy market in Japan.

According to SkySpecs, which has offices in the U.S. and the Netherlands, the partnership will benefit both companies’ long-term expansion goals.

“SkySpecs is pushing the envelope when it comes to data-driven decision making and technological advancement for the wind energy industry. Their automated inspections and already-established expertise will enable customers to measure the health of their fleet which is essential for the sustainable usage of offshore wind in Japan”, said Shinji Akatsuka, President of TEPCO Ventures.

TEPCO Ventures is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Holding, Japan’s largest electric utility which launched its first commercial offshore wind turbine, installed south of Choshi, in January 2019.

The same month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ørsted to cooperate on offshore wind projects, and this year the two companies agreed to establish a joint venture company, Choshi Offshore Wind Farm K.K., to work together on the Choshi offshore wind project.

This summer, TEPCO announced that its newly set up renewable energy unit plans to invest JPY 1-2 trillion (EUR 8.22 billion to EUR 16.44 billion) in 6-7 GW of offshore wind and hydroelectric projects by 2035. Shortly before that, TEPCO Renewable Power joined a consortium that will bid for the development of a fixed-bottom foundation project  in Akita Prefecture.

The Japanese government launched the country’s first-ever auction for fixed bottom offshore wind projects within the country’s General Common Sea Area on 27 November.