RWE biggest winner in Japan offshore wind round with plan to use 18MW GE turbines

German utility RWE has made its debut in Japan, and the wider APAC region, by securing a 684MW project to be located off the country’s west coast, facing the cities of Murakami and Tainai that will use 18MW turbines from GE.

Heading a consortium also featuring Japanese giants Mitsui and Osaka Gas, RWE was selected to develop, construct and operate a fixed-bottom offshore wind farm scheduled to complete its commissioning in June 2029.

The wind farm is expected to consist of 38 wind turbines, according to a statement by RWE.

In its own announcement on the offshore wind tender results after its second large-scale round, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) stated that the Murakami Tainai offshore wind consortium will use 38 18MW GE-manufactured wind turbines on the project, with operations scheduled to start in June 2029.

“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,” said RWE’s CEO Markus Krebber.

“With Mitsui and Osaka Gas we have partners by our side whose local expertise perfectly complements our global experience and technical know-how as one of the world’s leading offshore wind companies,”

As a next step, the partners will coordinate with the Japanese authorities for the approval of a public occupancy plan, RWE stated.

JERA and Sumitomo win

An all-Japanese consortium led by JERA Co were selected to develop a 315MW offshore wind project located off the cities of Oga and Katagami and Akita. In their statement, the partners described a proejct with 21 Vestas V236-15MW turbines.

JERA’s project partners are Electric Power Development Co —also known as J-POWER— Tohoku Electric Power Co and Itochu Corporation.

In its own statement, METI specified the scheduled start date as June 2028

A third consortium consisting of Sumitomo Corporation and TEPCO Renewable Power were appointed to design, build and operate an offshore wind project off the coast of Enoshima Island, Saikai City, Nagasaki.

The 420MW Nagasaki project will use 28 Vestas-supplied 15MW wind turbines, with the start of operations scheduled for August 2029

The Sumitomo-led consortium also stated that it aims to engage with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co and SUMCO as one of the offtakers to purchase green electricity to be generated from the project.

Yukihito Honda, managing executive officer and general manager of Sumitomo's infrastructure business unit commented: "Leveraging the extensive expertise garnered over many years in the electric power sector, both domestically and internationally, Sumitomo Corporation is dedicated to ensuring a stable electricity supply as well as contributing to the establishment of a carbon-neutral society in Japan, together with local stakeholders.”

The Japanese government has been accelerating the introduction of offshore wind power in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and has set a target of 10GW by 2030 and 30 to 45GW by 2040.

The winning consortiums were selected by an inter-ministerial group including Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT).