A consortium comprising Japan Renewable Energy Corporation (JRE), Iberdrola, and Tohoku Electric Power has secured the fourth site in Japan’s latest offshore wind tender. Three of the four sites put up for auction were awarded in December 2023, when the government said the results for the fourth site would be announced in March this year.
The JRE-led consortium secured the site off the coast of Happo Town and Noshiro City in Akita Prefecture, where the partners plan to build a 375 MW offshore wind farm with up to 25 Vestas 15 MW wind turbines installed on monopile foundations.
The construction is scheduled to start in 2026 and the Happo Noshiro offshore wind farm is expected to be in full operation in 2029.
The three consortium members will be involved in all aspects of business execution, including development and operation. Akita Bank, which also joined the project, will cooperate with local companies and support the implementation of regional development measures, according to the press release from the project consortium.
The Happo Noshiro site was awarded to the JRE-led consortium through Japan’s 2023 offshore wind tender, organised to select developers/operators for four sites.
In December, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) chose three consortia – one led by JERA, one by Sumitomo Corporation, and one by RWE – and said that the results for the fourth site would be announced in March 2024.
In a press release on 13 December 2023, METI said announcing the fourth winner was delayed to March as the “most highly rated business operator” had to resubmit its occupancy plan due to overlapping use of ports. The resubmitted plans needed to be evaluated by a third-party committee.