The Goto Floating Wind Farm LLC consortium has pushed back the operational startup of the Goto City Offshore Wind Power Generation Project due to the discovery of defects in a floating structure.
The commercial operation startup date for the project was initially scheduled for January 2024, however, the construction process was delayed due to defects discovered in a floating structure during construction.
As a result, the consortium filed an application to revise the Goto City project’s public occupancy plan rescheduling the operational startup for January 2026. The application was approved by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry as well as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism on September 22, 2023.
Toda Corporation, which oversaw the construction operations, said earlier this year that defects were discovered in two floating structures under construction at an onshore yard. The company confirmed it, investigated the causes, and considered countermeasures. Toda also took corrective measures for the defects in the floating structures and restarted construction work at the onshore yard.
The company will also conduct inspections of a floating structure already installed off the coast Sakiyama to verify the existence of defects. One of the three installed floating structures will be landed on the yard in Fukue Port where the integrity of the floating structure will be verified. Based on the results, Toda will decide whether to inspect the remaining two floating structures.
When completed, the Goto City wind farm will consist of eight Hitachi 2.1 MW wind turbines installed on hybrid SPAR-type, three-point mooring floating foundations. The wind farm is planned to deliver electricity until December 2043.
The Goto Floating Wind Farm LLC consortium was selected as the winner of Japan’s first offshore wind auction. The consortium is led by Toda Corporation and includes Eneos Corporation, Osaka Gas, Inpex Corporation, Kansai Electric Power, and Chubu Electric Power.
