Japan’s industry and land ministries have selected JERA and BP-led consortiums as operators for two offshore wind blocks in the country’s third auction round.
The JERA-led consortium, which also includes Green Power Investment and Tohoku Electric Power, won the 615MW wind farm on the southern side of the Japan Sea off the Aomori prefecture.
The project, set to be one of the largest offshore wind farms in Japan, will have 41 15MW wind turbines.
BP and its partners – Marubeni, Kansai Electric Power, Tokyo Gas, and Marutaka, bagged the 450MW wind farm off the coast of the Yamagata prefecture.
The project will be BP’s first entry into the Japanese offshore wind market. It will consist of 30 wind turbines, each with an individual capacity of 15 MW.
Both projects are bottom-fixed and are scheduled to begin operations in 2030. Turbines will be supplied by Siemens Gamesa.
The round aims to accelerate Japan’s offshore wind development. The government has set a target of 10GW of offshore wind farms by 2030, and up to 45GW by 2040. A draft revised energy plan envisions renewables accounting for up to 50% of its electricity mix by fiscal 2040.
Earlier this month, BP and JERA – the major players in the round – announced they would combine their offshore wind businesses to form a standalone joint venture.
