Japan Picks Five Promising Zones for Offshore Wind Farms

Yuka Obayashi
Friday, May 12, 2023

The Japanese government said on Friday it had chosen five sites off the coast of Hokkaido as "promising zones" for developing offshore wind farms, marking the second stage in a three-part selection process. 

The move comes as Japan looks to accelerate the development of renewable power to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. 

The newly designated promising zones are off Ishikari, Ganu-Minamishiribeshi, Shimamaki, Hiyama and Matsumae on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

The five sites were chosen after a government study confirmed they were would have grid connection capability.

The five areas were upgraded from so-called "preparatory zone" which is the first of the three-stage selection process,

after the government defined the appropriate scale of output for the areas and provisionally secured the necessary grid capacity through conducting its own study, instead of having private power companies doing so.

The new study process, known as the "grid security scheme," was introduced last year to help to speed up the development of wind farms, an official at the industry ministry said.

"Promising zone" needs to be upgraded to "promotion zone," which meets all the criteria set by a local law, to become eligible for public auction.

The government will separately announce the result of its annual selection process for windfarm areas in the summer, the ministry official said. This will identify some areas as promotion zones, others as promising and some as preparatory.

Offshore wind is a key driver for Japan's expansion of renewable energy, but the auction process was suspended for nine months last year as the government needed to revise rules after criticism from businesses about the lack of clarity around the bid process following the first major round of auctions. 

The consortiums led by Mitsubishi Corp won all three areas in the first round.

(Reuters -  Reporting by Yuka Obayashi. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Categories: Energy Industry News Offshore Wind Activity Asia Regulations

Related Stories

MDL Secures Cable Laying Job in Asia Pacific

PV Drilling Takes Ownership of Noble Corporation’s Stacked Jack-Up Rig

Floating Offshore Wind Test Center Planned for Japan

Synergy Marine Group Completes Conversion of LNG Vessel to FSRU

PTTEP Hires McDermott for Deepwater Subsea Job off Malaysia

Japan Picks Wood Mackenzie to Assess Trump-Backed Alaska LNG Scheme

Marco Polo Picks Salt Ship Design for Next-Gen Offshore Energy CSOV

CIP, Petrovietnam Team Up for Offshore Wind Project in Vietnam

Seatrium Engages Axess Group to Clear FPSOs for Brazil Deployment

China Rolls Out 17MW Floating Wind Turbine Prototype

Current News

Eni-Petronas Gas Joint Venture Up for Launch in 2026

Vietsovpetro Brings BK-24 Oil Platform Online Two Months Early

Propane’s Economic Edge for Ports During Trade Uncertainty

Shell’s Brazil-Bound FPSO Starts Taking Shape

Ventura Offshore’s Semi-Sub Rig to Keep Drilling for Eni in Asia

SBM Offshore, SLB to Optimize FPSO Performance Using AI

MODEC Ramps Up Hammerhead FPSO Work After ExxonMobil's Go-Ahead

Aesen, DOC JV Targets Subsea Cable Logistics

Timor Gap Boosts Stake in Finder Energy’s Timor-Leste Oil Fields

SBM Offshore Starts Construction of FSO for Trion Oil Field off Mexico

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com