German utility RWE has been selected in a consortium with Mitsui & Co and Osaka Gas to build and operate an offshore wind farm off the coast of the cities of Murakami and Tainai in Japan.
The award is in line with Japan’s commitment to expanding offshore wind capacity to 10 GW approved by 2030, with at least 5.7 GW online and between 30 and 45 GW by 2040, as part of its target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE, said: “Offshore wind is increasingly gaining momentum in Japan and I am deeply honored that we together with our Japanese partners have been selected to deliver this project as a trusted partner to the Japanese Government.”
The wind farm, which marks RWE’s first success in an offshore wind tender in Japan and the wider APAC region, is planned to have a capacity of 684 MW. It will consist of 38 bottom-fixed wind turbines and be fully commissioned in June 2029.
Japan has also awarded development rights to two other consortiums. JERA, Electric Power Development, Itochu and Tohoku Electric Power won the rights to develop a 315 MW wind farm off the coast of Oga-Katagami-Akita in Akita prefecture in northern Japan, while Sumitomo and Tokyo Electric Power have been selected for a 420 MW wind farm off the coast of Enoshima in Nagasaki prefecture in southwestern Japan.
